My Own Personal Superhero
by reckless-harmonium
Summary: A story about two people falling in love. Lots of fluff at first, then I get teasing. Eventual Rizzles. Will try to have a crime every few chapters but I am more focused on the development of their characters and relationship. Rated M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

Maura was standing in the middle of Jane's living room. Her soft green eyes were pointed in direction of the woman standing a few feet in front of her. Maura closed the gap. She was close enough to take in her friend's scent. Hoyt was right, Jane did smell like lavender and fear. Maura was studying Jane's face and brought her hand to Jane's cheeks. She could fee Jane's jaw tense under her light touch.

"Have you done this before?" Jane asked. "Of course" Maura smiled "I've had a lot of practice. Maura's face turned into a slight smile as she continued to inch her face and the rest of her body closer to her friend.

Jane let out a soft, exaggerated breath that was mixed with a laugh. They were close enough now that Jane's exhale tickled Maura's nose.

"I never thought you'd be my first though" Maura added.

"Hey!" Jane whined clearly taking offense to that statement. "I-I" she began, but stopped and then let out a large, frustrated huff.

"Stay still!" Maura demanded as she tightened her grip on Jane's face to reinforce her point.

"Yes, Doctor." Jane quipped.

Maura inched forward, her nose just inches from Jane's. She realized that they were sharing the same air, taking in each other's breaths. Maura thought it was a very beautiful and intimate moment. She took another second to appreciate the moment before she adjusted her fingers and applied pressure to her friend's face.

"OW!" Jane screamed after feeling the pain behind the snap. "Hurts even more the second time around." She rubbed her already swelling nose.

"Ice for the next 2-" Maura began.

"-4 hours. I know the drill. I remember from last time. Thanks again, Maura." Jane smiled. She headed towards the kitchen but was stopped when by Maura's hands gripping her arm.

"Jane," Maura sighed in a way that made Jane melt. But, it also signaled that Maura was about to open up, reveal something that she has been holding inside her for so long but is only just now able to say it. "Please try to be more careful." She finished with a gentle exhale and placed herself down on Jane's couch. Clearly needing a moment, Jane returned to her task of getting ice and left Maura alone on the couch. She returned in a flash and plopped herself on the couch, long arms and legs sprawling across the expanse of the couch. Jane quickly turned her body and placed her head on the arm rest and extended her legs over Maura's lap. Jane reached one hand to her own face and dropped the ice on her nose with a gentle plop. She folded her hands and rested them on her stomach. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened to see Maura's eyes closed, her hands gently hovering over Jane's knees which Jane had just placed there. Jane studied her friend's face for a moment and then shifted to move her knees from her friends lap. At the movement, Maura's eyes shot open and her hands dropped to Jane's knees gripping her knee caps.

"I'm sorry- I can move" Jane tried to move her knees from under Maura's surprisingly strong grip but was stopped again by the medical examiner's hands on her knees.

"No. Keep them there. Please."

Jane noted that that was the second time that Maura had begged, pleaded even, for her to do something. The first was to be careful, the second was to stay. Jane thought a moment about what she was going to say but was interrupted when Maura blurted out "I just need know that you are here right now. You are physically here. Right now. With me. I know it sounds weird and doesn't make any sense, but I am comforted feeling you right now."

Jane knew something was up and without taking a moment to try to figure out the doctor's complicated thoughts herself she went straight to the source. Jane sat up, her arms now behind her back, holding herself upright as she sat upright looking at the doctor.

"Maura," she reached a hand to Maura's back and started to gently rub circles across the doctor's small expanse "what is wrong?" By now, Maura had her hands covering her face. At the touch of Jane's hands to her back she took in two rapid breaths and started to gently sob. Jane immediately reacted. She moved closer to her friend and brought her hands to Maura's and gently pulled them down and into her lap. She tightened her grip on Maura's hands and bent her head slightly so that she could look Maura right in the eye. "Maura, tell me what is wrong. I'll do anything I can to make it right, you know I hate seeing you cry." Maura's sobs slightly increased and Jane tried again to move her legs but was once again stopped by the increasingly fierce grip of the medical examiner's hands.

"Jane, please" she began and Jane noted that that was the third time "Jane just- sit with me. I told you that I just needed to feel you here with my right now. Is that okay? Can you do that for me? Just be here, please" she sobbed and Jane mentally added a fourth tally mark. "I ha-hate when you get hurt. You put yourself in danger everyday and I-I just have this image of you being a super hero- and I know it doesn't make any sense- but-but when you get hurt, it's just a reminder that you are human and-and you aren't invincible. I worry, Jane, I worry about you everyday you leave for a call. I-I pace around the morgue, I twitch, I-I fidget, Jane I never fidget!" Maura paused and breathed and noticed that she was spinning her ring around her finger. Her own reminder that she is human. She stopped spinning and looked right in Jane's deep brown eyes that were both teary from her sudden outburst and confused by it. So, she began again, "I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't mean for this to all come out. It's just that, I-I saw you shoot yourself." The reminder made Jane wince and she sat up as the verbal reminder sent a spark to her scar. "I saw you take that last breath before you slipped into unconsciousness. I was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital when you flat-lined. I was holding your hand and I felt it lose it's beat, it went limp in my hand Jane. My strong, personal super hero, died in my hand and I couldn't do anything about it." Maura finished sobbing, it was full fledged tears right now. Both of them were crying on the couch. Jane realized how ridiculous the scene must have looked but that did not stop her from grabbing the doctor by her shoulders and into an embrace.

"Maura, look at me" Jane started, her voice extra raspy with the added emotion of tears falling from both of their faces "I'm not super woman, Maura. Everyone has a kyroptonite, mine just happens to be a self-inflicted bullet to the chest." Jane laughed "I'm sorry, Maura. I'm right here. With you. Right now. I'm not going anywhere. I will always be here okay. Nothing is going to take me from you! Not even a bullet to the chest! What can I do to help you feel better?" Jane smiled as she pulled back from the hug. Maura rose her face and Jane brought her hands to it and began wiping the tears from the delicate cheeks of the medical examiner.

Maura smiled "Just hold me, please." Jane again internally added a fifth tally mark. Jane opened her arms and whispered "Come here." The two friends were once again embracing, each woman was smiling as they felt the familiar comfort of the other one in their arms. Jane slowly dropped her body back onto the couch and gently dragged the medical examiner down with her. Her head returned to it's previous spot on the arm rest. She lay flat on her back with her arms wrapped tightly around the smaller body of the medical examiner who was curled on her side against the couch cushions. Maura snuggled closer to Jane and gently tucked an arm under Jane's back and let the other reach across the expanse of Jane's flat stomach. Maura's hands met on the other side of Jane's body, she laced her own fingers together and pulled her super hero in closer. Jane, in turn, tightened her grip on the medical examiner. They both just lay there together, arms wrapped around each other, legs and feet slightly intertwined. Their breaths slowed and their bodies relaxed. The stress of the day was weighing down on the detective who was quickly falling asleep on the couch. Maura noted this and just snuggled closer and gently placed her head on Jane's chest. She positioned her head just so so that the top of her head snuggled right underneath Jane's jaw and into the crook of her neck and so that her ear was right over Jane's heart. She could hear it beating, feel the pressure of Jane's pulse as it echoed in her ear, feel the warmth of Jane as it surged through her body. Maura was greatly comforted by the strong and steady beat of Jane's heart sounding in her ear. She smiled to herself as she thought that her super hero was still alive and was still- her superhero. Maura's sleepiness was catching up to her, but she did not fight it. She allowed her brain to turn off and let the rest of her body just enjoy being held in the strong arms of one detective Jane Rizzoli. Her eyelids began to shut and she took in one final breath before allowing sleep to take over. Lavender and fear, she noted and then drifted off into sleep.


	2. Indeed A Good Morning

Taking a Personal Day

As Jane slowly opened her eyes into the harsh morning light shining through her window, she became increasingly aware of the pressure on her chest and stomach. Her eyes were opening, foggy from sleep and could not really see what was on top of her. After a few blinks and a slight yawn Jane raised her head slightly so as to not disturb whatever was on top of her. It only took a second before Jane's chin gently bumped against the head of one Dr. Maura Isles. At the gentle contact, Maura stirred and Jane internally cursed for waking her friend up. But, instead of waking up, Maura snuggled against Jane a little tighter, her arms still wrapped around Jane's waist. Maura's head nuzzled further against Jane's chest and she let out a soft, content sigh.

Jane's mind and eyes were frozen on the image of her friend snuggled against her. Their bodies warm from embracing each other all night. Jane quickly flashed back to the previous night and the conversation between best friends. She remembered Maura crying as she revealed that she worries about Jane everyday. Jane smiled at the thought. It was nice to have someone, besides her mother, who cared about her.

She thought for a second about how Maura has complicated her life. She thought about the fights and the difficult situations that Maura's been in because of Jane. Immediately, she flashed to the day in the prison where Maura sat on a gurney, wrists bound, and a bleeding gash across her neck. She never meant to hurt Maura, never meant to get her involved with Hoyt. She once calculated that Maura would be safe from the hands of the surgeon, after all, he only went after lovers.

Suddenly, almost as fast as light turns on, Jane realized the logic behind Hoyt's attack at the prison. She suddenly grasped that Hoyt knew that going after Maura would anger Jane enough to get her to fight back. Just like all of his other victims, Jane was forced to watch him hurt the person someone loves the most. She felt like an idiot for not putting it together before. she then remembered telling Hoyt that she will love him when he was dead. She cursed internally at first realizing that Hoyt had won.

"I still hate you, you sick bastard." She whispered angrily before she could ever realize that she said it out loud. As expected, the medical examiner stirred and slowly began to open her eyes. Jane just watched as Maura rolled over and folder her arms against Jane's stomach. She rested her chin on top of her hands and looked up at Jane with her bright green eyes. Jane was looking down the expanse of her long torso and resting just above her belly button was the head of Dr. Maura Isles who was looking straight up Jane's torso and right into her eyes.

"Good morning, Jane" she whispered her voice soft with sleepiness.

"Mornin', Maur" Jane replied with a smile.

"Were you having a nightmares again? I heard you mumble something about a- sick bastard?" Maura said as she started rubbing tiny circles against Jane's ribs to smooth out the wrinkles on Jane's v-neck.

"Uhh-" Jane began but was too distracted by the slight goosebumps growing all over her body from the light pressure being applied to her torso by the medical examiner. "Yeah- Even though I put a scalpel through his chest, bitch still haunts my dreams." Jane lifter her arms from her sides and started rubbing her scars. Maura took notice of this and pushed down against Jane's stomach to grab her attention.

"Jane," her voice was still a bit soft "Hoyt is dead." Maura Paused for emphasis and saw that Jane was fighting back tears. "Jane, he can not hurt you anymore. He's gone." She smiled.

"It's not me that I am worried about." Jane said sternly.

Maura twisted her head slightly, furrowed her brow. Jane knew that she was confused, Maura had taught her the facial signs.

"I don't care if Hoyt hunts me. He can attack me as much as he wants. But, when he came- when he attacked you" Jane's tears were falling and she realized this was the first time she cried in front of Maura since that day in the prison "I just couldn't deal with it. The thought of him hurting you gave me the strength to fight back and k-kill him."

Maura chuckled lightly and reached her hand to Jane's cheeks. She used her thumb to wipe the tears away from Jane's face. Eventually laying her palm against Jane's cheeks, Maura said with a smile "You really are my super hero, aren't you?" Jane couldn't help but smile at the woman who was still laying across her lap. Jane noticed that Maura's soft curls were coming dangerously close to her green eyes. She reached a hand to the medical examiner's face and gently took the hair pieces from the doctor's face and placed them lightly behind her ears. Maura smiled a thank you and then sat up. The sudden loss of contact startled Jane and she suddenly and silently wished that the medical examiner would return to her embrace. Instead, Maura pulled Jane up by the hands and into a tight embrace.

"I've got you Jane. Not Hoyt. You are safe with me. Let me protect you for once. I can be your super hero too." Maura pleaded. Jane just pulled Maura in tighter, noticed how their bodies fit together perfectly, and nodded into the shoulders of the medical examiner.

Jane pulled back first, wiped a stray tear from her eye and thanked Maura. Maura stood from the couch and once again pulled Jane up by the hand. "Let's go get some breakfast from that diner you like. It's on me!" Maura smiled.

Jane could only resort to sarcasm at this point. She had just opened up a little and in order to close the self cut gap, she had to resort to her defense mechanism of sarcasm and humor.

"Ooh, Dr. Maura Isles caught in a blue-collar diner nose deep in a pancake tower. What will the presses say? Your parents? The Brahmens? Ha! Hold the presses because she is wearing the same outfit she wore yesterday! The tragedy! Her invitation to the next big blahdy-blah fashion thingy is cancelled."

Maura, who was used to the abuse, just started walking away from her friend mid-rant and headed towards Jane's bedroom. She needed to borrow some clothes. No matter how atrocious she would look in Jane's ill-fitted trousers and v-neck/blazer combo she would not be caught dead in yesterday's clothes. Contaminating evidence seemed more likely for the medical examiner who could hear her friend laughing to herself from the living room. She couldn't help but smile when she pulled Jane's Boston Police Department hoodie over her head. She took in a breath and recatalogged some information. Hoyt would never get to know this, it was something only Maura would know. Jane no longer smelled of lavender and fear. Maura decided, though it seemed silly at first, that Jane smelled of lavender and comfort.


	3. The Cream in the Coffee

The Creme in the Coffee

"Jane."

No response.

"Jane..." the medical examiner was getting annoyed. There was still no response.

"Jane!" Maura slammed her hand against the table for effect, hoping that the sudden noise and movement would awaken Jane from her daze. It was a successful attempt. The woman across from Maura looked up from her plate of food with a look of agitation. Neither woman said anything for a few seconds. Maura was too busy staring at Jane's open, food filled mouth to even

form words. After a few silent moments, Jane swallowed and groaned, "What?"

"Well, I was just wondering since we both have off today if we could spend the day together?" Maura smiled innocently.

"I thought we were already gonna do that" Jane added in between forkfuls of pancakes which she had previously commented were delicious and not shaped like bunnies like her Ma makes.

"Oh...Okay. Then what would you like to do?"

"I don't care, I'm fine with anything. Whatever you want." Jane was far too focused on eating as much of her pancakes as she possibly could.

"Then in that case we are going shopping and getting you a whole new wardrobe!" Maura beamed sinisterly knowing the reaction it would cause. Jane dropped her fork with a loud clamor, swallowed the large amount of food in her mouth with one large gulp and pleaded "Anything but that!"

Maura just smiled back at her and continued to eat her omelette. She took a sip of her coffee that Jane had ordered for her while she was freshening up in the bathroom. It was perfect, just the way she liked it. "How about we see a movie? I'm in the mood for popcorn and some entertainment!" Maura said with a smile.

"Fine by me. But I'm getting the tickets... and the popcorn! You bought all this" Jane said waving her hands over the meal.

"That seems fair." Maura added before taking another bite of her omelette.

"Well, you know me, fairness" Jane began sarcastically "is what I preach."

"Don't flatter yourself, Jane. We both know you prefer the other f word." Maura said nonchalantly.

"Maura! We are in public!" Jane raised her voice a little and her face reddened.

"Jane, I meant force. Get your mind out of the gutter." Maura smirked and returned to her food. Jane, embarrassed by her little slip, did the same.

When the two ladies left the diner, they decided to walk to the theatre just a few blocks down. At first, the two were walking side by side, enjoying the crisp New England fall air and the gentle breeze. But, as time wore on, the breeze grew colder and Maura noticeably shivered. Jane looked over and saw that Maura's hands were buried deep within Jane's BPD hoodie, her chin tucked deep into the hood flaps. Jane moved a little closer to Maura and then quickly and without and difficulty - as if they had done this thousands of times before - placed her arm around Maura's shoulder and pulled her in tight. Maura removed one hand from her pocket and wrapped it around Jane's waist and into Jane's own sweatshirt pocket on the other side. Suddenly, Maura's hands were directly on top of Jane's within the warmth of her pocket. Maura's palms rested right above one of Jane's scars and so she gently applied pressure there as if she was holding on. Jane did not think anything of their secret hand holding within her pocket. Instead, she just pulled Maura in tighter and looked down to see Maura smiling as her face pressed against Jane's side for the second time in less than 24 hours.

Just as the opening credits began to roll on the screen, Jane's phone rang. She took a quick glance and then groaned and whispered "Rizzoli." Her voice was so deep and raspy in its gentle whisper and Maura couldn't help but smile. "Are you serious? Who ever did this one owes me $25 bucks for the movie that I am not about to see and the popcorn that I am not about to eat." She hung up, groaned her tell-all really and then looked at Maura. "C'mon, we gotta go. We got a dead bus boy at the diner that we just came from."

"He's been dead no more than an hour. Still warm." Maura began her analysis. Jane took out a small notepad and started writing down what Maura was saying. A crime tech walked onto the scene and noticed that the ever fashionable medical examiner was wearing an oversized BPD sweatshirt Detective Rizzoli's he reasoned and yoga pants. He made a questionable face but eventually returned to his work. "Bruising and fingerprints along the neck suggest he was strangled with quite a lot of force. This was definitely an angered attack."

Jane finished writing down what the medical examiner said and did a quick sweep of the kitchen. She stopped to a few chefs along the way asking if they knew anything or if anyone had come in through the back entrance. They were unhelpful, which was frustrating, but the pair of women were used to it.

A few minutes later, while everyone was crouched alongside the body, an all business waitress came bustling through the door. She started yelling her orders to the employees in the kitchen and demanded they they be complete in the next 9 minutes. At first, the women were confused by the whole 9 minutes thing, but then they looked to the clock and saw that it was 11:51am. They both silently reasoned that it was a change of shift and the yelling waitress was getting out of here. The waitress was quickly trying to leave the kitchen, but the employees, the crime techs, the medical examiner, and Detective Rizzoli were all standing in the way.

"Excuse me!" She started pushing through everyone with a force unseen in such a petite girl. It only took Jane a quick second to notice the basketball necklace on the girl. Fan or Player? She internally questioned. She quickly studied the young girl's body, saw that she was quite muscular for someone of her age. Muscle doesn't always mean will power Jane reminded herself. Jane continued her study, noticed how the girl widened her stance and forced her weight between her two feet so that she could easily move between all the crime techs. And then she saw it. A reddish brown stain among other brownish red stains. Jane reached her arm out to stop the girl.

"Detective Rizzoli... could I speak to you for a second please?"

"No! I've got customers and a game in two hours, I don't really have time to chat." she replied coldly.

"Well you can't exactly play in your game from behind bars. Which is where you will be spending the night if you don't answer a few questions." Jane crossed her arms defensively and bent her head and eyebrows, clearly annoyed at the teenager. The woman leaning over the dead body couldn't help but smile, she loved when Jane immediately went to bad cop.

The teen groaned at first and then agreed.

Jane immediately pointed the colored stains along the waitresses apron, "What are these?" she questioned.

"Ketchup. Kid in here earlier spilled on me." With that, Jane looked over to Maura who rose from her place on the ground and approached the young female.

"Jane, you know it is a reddish brown stain until the tests say otherwise."

"No need for tests," Jane began and reached into the pocket of the crime tech nearest to her and pulled out the light. She turned it on and pointed it directly on the apron of the waitress in front of her. "Blood, Dr. Isles?" she finished, turning her head towards Maura and smiling victoriously.

Maura studied it for a moment and simply stated "Yes."

"So, why'd ya do it?" Jane began "Kid didn't clear tables fast enough for you? I imagine he'll clean them much slower now seeing as he is dead." The teen was holding back tears, growing redder every second, she was sinking. Jane, however, was rising after every word she stated, growing taller and more present in the room. Maura didn't think it was possible for Jane to fill a room even more than she already did, but this was a new record. The teen looked to her left and right very quickly took off into the crowd of people. She was heading towards the back door, weaving in and out of people expertly. But then she hit a wall. Not an actual wall, but a close second. Detective Frost was standing patrol at the backdoor when the girl ran into him and fell backwards a few feet. Detective Rizzoli's laughing could be heard over all of the madness. He slowly pulled the cuffs out of his pocket and placed them on the crying teen in front of him. He began reading her rights when she interrupted "I didn't mean to kill him! I-I was just telling him that he needed to hurry up! He said if I gave him a blow-job he would clean my tables faster. I pushed him against the wall and put my arms around his neck so he would listen. I-I didn't mean to kill him!" She was full on weeping at this point.

"A court will decide that!" Jane shouted as she approached Frost and grabbed the girl "C'mon you're coming with us."

"That was quick." Maura and Jane said together with a smile and then got in the car to head to the station.

"She's already been processed. You are off, get outta here!" Korsak said of Jane who was hovering around the room aimlessly.

"I've got to wait for Maur- I'm her ride." she replied.

"Well then go wait for her in the morgue. You're taking up space and if Cavanaugh sees you in here he'll be pissed that he's gotta pay you OT."

"Fine." She stood quickly and left the room with no argument.

"C"mon Maura, it's a clear strangulation. Let's go." Jane was growing impatient.

"No, it isn't. Autopsy showed that he had water in his lungs. He was forcibly drowned. It was riddled with bacteria and soap. That explains why the hand marks are backwards. She forced him into..." the Medical Examiner was not sure what he was forced into.

"I'd say his bus tray." Jane finished.

"Highly possible." Maura continued.

"I'll question her tomorrow. It's 5:30 Maur, I'm hungry let's get out of here." Jane's stomach growled at the mention.

"Can we get some Chinese?" Maura asked.

"Yes, we can definitely do that. And, Dr. Isles I believe I owe you a movie and some popcorn" Jane smiled.

"Indeed you do! Can we go to that place around the corner and then movie at your place?" Maura asked as she looked up from the body, still wearing Jane's sweatshirt.

Jane laughed, grabbed Maura by the wrist and pulled her along. "C'mon Maura, I'm so hungry I'm about to eat you." The medical examiner smiled and allowed herself to be dragged across the morgue by Jane.


	4. A Funny Image

"Maura, I didn't really understand the ending of the-" Jane started quietly as she shut off her tv. She stopped herself when she looked over to find Maura curled in the fetal position and asleep. Jane could not help but smile as the medical examiner let out a soft snore. Jane was not even phased by the fact that this was Maura's second night over. Jane stood and cleaned up the chinese food and popcorn from the coffee table in her living room. She returned to the couch and bent down over Maura slowly wrapping her arms under Maura's curled knees and along her shoulder blades.

"Maura" Jane whispered lightly into her ear "Maura just wrap your arms around my neck, okay?"

Maura stirred a little and reached her arms up. Jane ducked her head under the reaching medical examiner's arms and felted Maura's fingers tightly intertwine around her neck. Maura's hands and body were warm with sleep and Jane took in the comfort of that feeling before she bent her knees and lifted. As Jane carried Maura through her apartment, she passed a mirror and noticed just how ridiculous she looked. Jane looked at her reflection, her own tired eyes a deep contrast from her protruding collarbone, and upper arm muscles that were being worked under the gentle weight of Maura. Maura she smiled as she noticed that her sleeping friend was nuzzling her head against Jane's chest, her arms loosely gripped around Jane's neck, their bodies pressed together, Maura's rear lightly pressuring against the lower part of Jane's torso, her legs angled over Jane's arms and dangling in the air. The contrast between the two women was striking and even the ironically nonobservant Jane noticed. Jane looked strong, crazy strong, she thought and silently praised herself for her recent intensity at the gym and Maura looked fragile and weak. Jane knew that Maura didn't need protecting, but she was more than happy to be Maura's own personal super hero. She chuckled lightly and Maura stirred.

"What is it, Jane?" Maura whispered almost so quietly that Jane didn't hear, her voice softened by sleep.

"Nothing it's just-" Jane started "Look in the mirror." Maura did as suggested and simply smiled. Jane laughed again.

"What, Jane?"

"I'm sorry I don't know why I find this funny but I look like the super hero carrying the damsel in distress. The only thing missing is the explosion in the background and the fans blowing my hair back." Jane continued to laugh, clearly much too amused.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jane. And the fans would just tangle your already unruly messy hair." Maura closed her eyes and snuggled back against Jane's chest.

"Hey! Don't make fun of me! I will drop you!"

"You wouldn't dare." Maura smiled.

"Challenge. Accepted." Jane chuckled. Maura's eyes shot wide open as she suddenly realized what was about to happen. Jane took off faster than Maura would have imagined with the additional weight. Jane darted through her apartment, weaving around the corners of the hallways laughing. Maura only tightened her grip around Jane's neck and began to playfully laugh and scream. As soon as Jane reached her bed, she started to countdown.

"3... Are you ready Dr. Isles...2...1!" After finishing her countdown Jane released her grip on Maura and allowed her to drop the few feet into her bed. Maura screamed and laid laughing on Jane's bed.

"I can't believe you would do that, Jane" Maura teased.

"You challenged me. I had to." Maura laughed at her response and then quickly grabbed Jane by the wrist and pulled her forward onto the bed. Jane was quickly and unexpectedly laying on top of the medical examiner. Both women were laughing hysterically and neither moved. The two women were hugging horizontally, each laughing into each other's chest. Maura was slowing her laughter and Jane began rising above her. Jane rose above her friend, using her arm muscles to hover over Maura. Jane's unruly curls falling around her face, the tips tickling Maura's nose. Maura smiled her characteristic dimpled smile and closed her eyes, letting Jane know that she wanted to go back to sleep. Jane lowered herself just a bit, hovering her face just over the medical examiners. Jane took in the scent, she smelled expensive and clean. Maura's own nose was overwhelmed by the strong smell of lavender. She did not dare open her eyes, she let Jane control the situation, let her do whatever she felt comfortable doing in that moment. Jane lingered and Maura noticed because she could feel the quick, warm exhales of Jane's breath against her face. Again, she did not dare move. After a few calculated moments, Jane closed the distance and placed her lips gently on Maura's forehead. She held her lips there for just a second too long, she knew it was too long, Maura noticed it was too, and Jane knew that Maura knew as well. Jane did not say anything. She simply brushed her fingers through the top of Maura's hair, stopped as she approached her ear, and left her hand lingering there for a brief second- just gently cupping the side of her face. With that, Jane pushed herself lightly off of Maura, grabbed the sheets and pulled them over the both of them. Jane had her back facing Maura and Maura knew that Jane was troubled. But she was sleepy, and she could still feel the moist warmth of Jane's kiss against her forehead. She decided that she would just enjoy that feeling and drift off into sleep. She would save the more complicated stuff for another time.


	5. Bang, She Shot You

Bang, She Shot You

Jane's incredibly loud phone started blaring only a few hours into their sleep. She looked at the alarm clock on her bed side table and noticed that it was only 3am. She reached for the light and knocked down the picture frame that held a shot of herself and Maura in it. Dammit. She cursed internally as she finally reached the light. Jane could feel Maura stir on the other side of the bed as she reached for her phone.

"Rizzoli." She groaned into the phone, her voice impossibly deep with sleep. On the other side of the bed, Maura reached for her phone, expecting a call as well. Jane gasped as the person on the other side of the phone was relaying her information. She sprung from bed and began pacing around the room looking for clean clothes. Jane tripped over a pile of laundry and fell to the floor. Maura sat up in bed and asked Jane if she was okay. Jane just waved her off as she continued to listen to the person on the phone.

Maura noticed that Jane was wearing only underwear and a fitted tank top. Maura smiled knowing that her constant complaints of Jane sleeping in her clothes finally bugged her enough to do something about it. Jane finally grabbed a pair of pants, quickly pulled a navy v-neck on and grabbed a blazer. She hung up the phone and Maura started to get out of bed.

"No, Maura, we don't need you. Got a tip that a bank down in the financial district is going to get robbed in the morning. It's all hands on deck in and around that bank so that we can stop that from happening." Jane said as she sat to slip on her shoes. She stood and began to walk out of the room but was stopped by a strong grip around her wrist. Jane looked down and saw Maura's hand wrapped tightly around her wrist, her thumbs reaching to rub Jane's scar. Her eyes were worried and she whispered with her head down, "Jane, please be careful." Jane simply smiled a compassionate smile.

"Maura," Jane sat down on her bed next to Maura, "I will. Don't worry about me." Maura bent her head down again, and then looked back up at Jane. Maura's eyes were a little wet with tears.

"I-I worry, Jane. I worry about you. I told you that I don't want to- I can't lose you again. I watched you bleed out on the sidewalk, I sat with you for weeks in the hospital, Jane. I-I can't do that again. Promise me that when everything's all clear, you'll call and come back to me. I'll make breakfast for you okay... I'll have to go get the food first because everyone knows your fridge is empty, but then I'll cook you breakfast but you have to promise me that you'll be back, okay?" Jane reached across and wiped the falling tears from the medical examiner's face and then pulled her into a tight embrace. Jane rubbed circles on Maura's back as she sobbed weakly against Jane's chest. Jane pulled away from the hug.

"I gotta go Maura. But, I'll be back I promise. Okay?" Maura and Jane smiled. "Okay. I want pancakes. And eggs." Jane paused. "And bacon." Maura laughed.

"And freshly squeezed orange juice too, Detective?" Maura joked.

"Yeah, fresh squeezed orange juice too!" Jane said as she stood from the bed and walked out of her apartment.

"What do we got?" Jane asked as she arrived a few blocks from the bank. The rising sun was beginning to peak through the skyscrapers, the clare from the windows was a little blinding.

"Anonymous tip came in an hour ago saying that a couple ex-cons were seen at a bar a few blocks from here. They're all plastered and were rumored to be discussing breaking into this bank here" Korsak pointed to the building down the road.

Jane nodded. "So why I am here? I'm a homicide detective, Korsak not some beat cop at this ungodly hour to do the dirty work. I've got bet-"

"To get home to Maura?" Korsak interrupted. Jane could not argue because the 'better things' to which she was referring was indeed the breakfast that Maura had promised her. Her stomach growled at the thought.

"Yeah... She fell asleep on my couch after the movie last night. But she promised that if I came back she'd make me breakfast and I am hungry. So, answer my question... Why am I here?"

Korsak looked to the ground and then directly into Jane's eyes. "One of the cons is your top suspect on that cold case from a few months back."

Jane turned her head, "Sam Davis?" she asked.

"Yea," Korsak began, "She's apparently looking to get some cash and then head outta town. Get as far away from that case as possible."

"Dammit. Okay so I'm here to..."

"Make the arrest after SWAT gets her. I wouldn't want just some beat cop coming in and getting your big arrest." Korsak smiled. Jane thanked him and patted him on the back. She then walked over to the head SWAT guy and received her orders.

After almost an hour and a half of waiting, the surveillance cops spotted the group of ex-cons leaving an apartment a few blocks away. SWAT sent out the orders and every one and everything that was visible before disappeared into the streets of Boston.

Jane was in her car in an alley facing the bank. She looked ahead to see the two SWAT guys that were hunched behind trashcans. Their guns were ready and in position. The cons were close and Jane could feel the suspense in the air.

There were three of them. Sam Davis, one other girl, and a big man who looked scared shitless. Poor guy was about the get the surprise of his lifetime. Jane looked at her phone, it was 6:15am and Maura was probably waking up in the very familiar bedroom of one Detective Jane Rizzoli. Jane thought of the medical examiner rising to a seated position on her bed and extending her arms into the air. She would turn her head and look for Jane, she always did. As if it were a fated destiny, Jane's phone buzzed- she had received a text.

M: "Good morning, Jane. I'm going to go for a run and take Jo with me. Hopefully her little legs can keep up. Then, I'm going to the market to get the ingredients for your breakfast."

J: "Morning. Scoping the scene now. Stomach is growling. Don't forget my freshly squeezed orange juice!"

M: "Wouldn't dream of it!" Jane smiled and could picture Maura doing the same. Jane looked up from her phone and noticed that SWAT had already moved in and the three cons were standing with their hands in the air in the middle of the street. She had been so in her own world that she didn't even notice reality in front of her. Jane threw her phone across and onto the passenger seat which Maura so often occupied. It made a loud thud and buzzed again. But, Jane did not have time. She had a job to do. So, she opened her door and didn't read the medical examiner's latest message:

M: "Jane, please, please be careful. Don't do anything stupid or reckless. I...love you too much to lose you. Be careful and see you soon."

"Samantha Davis" Detective Rizzoli began as she sauntered onto the scene "Long time no see. Fancy us meeting here, in this way." Her arms extended and she spun around taking in the scene around them. Jane had dozens of guns pointing at her, she could see them all as she spun around. She felt protected. But the one gun that she needed to see, she didn't. And just like that, her city of Boston began spinning and she felt like she could not breathe. Jane's eyes were closing rapidly- almost as fast as the chaos played out in front of her. She saw Samantha Davis drop to the ground- a bullet to the head. Her eyes were frozen, and there was a smile on her bloodied face. An officer had the other two on the ground and cuffed. Sam shot me. She shot me Jane reasoned. Korsak ran to Jane's side, his face was panicked. This was the fourth time he was forced to deal with a dying Jane.

"Stay with me, Rizzoli!" He yelled.

Shit. She thought as she fell to the ground, Maura's going to be pissed I missed breakfast.


	6. And I've Been Meaning To Tell You

"Stay with me, Rizzoli!" He yelled.

Shit. She thought as she fell to the ground, Maura's going to be pissed I missed breakfast.

Maura danced around the kitchen preparing the most delicious breakfast. She knew that Jane would be pissed after having to go into work early so she pulled out all of the stops. Maura prepared thick, fluffy chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs with freshly diced vegetables, and despite its negative health effects, bacon. She set up the table and brought the food over in multiple trips. After squeezing orange juice, Maura washed her hands and then sat down at Jane's rarely used 'special occasion' table. Maura was going to make today a special occasion. She had waited long enough, dropped enough hints, and exposed herself too many times without the detective catching on. Today was the day, Maura decided, that she would tell Jane that she was attracted to her, that she was falling in love with her, that she can't imagine her life without her.

"Stay with me, Rizzoli!" Korsak shouted as he raced down the hospital hallway after the quickly disappearing gurney. The team of doctors was blocking his vision and all he could see of his ex-partner was a loose unruly curl hanging off the side of the gurney- it bounced gently in the artificial breeze created by the speed of doctors who were now disappearing behind closed ER doors. The last thing Korsak could hear besides the squeak of the gurney wheels was the panicked cry of the doctor straddling Jane attempting to do CPR screaming "We're losing her!" And as the doors swung shut and the monitors started beeping loudly, Korsak could do nothing but stand in the distance.

Detective Jane Rizzoli was floating into an all white room. She had no control and no idea why she was so fascinated with looking at the pure white that was surrounding her. She could see a version of her self standing in front of her. This version of Jane was smiling sympathetically.

"It is not your time to go quite yet, Jane. You still have much to do on Earth. People need you down there, some more than others, but it is not our time to take you from them." the heavenly version of Jane smiled.

"Maura..." was the only thing Earthly Jane could mutter.

"Yes, Jane. Now get back to her, she has some very important information to tell you." And with that Earthly Jane began floating backwards. Her body was moving quickly back to Earth and the last thing she remembered before she fell back into that hospital bed was seeing a heavenly version of Maura join heavenly Jane. Maura grabbed Jane's hand and the two women waved from the distance as Jane's soul crashed back into her body.

Beep.

"Jane, I'm not mad at you. Okay? If you leave me now, I want you to know that I am not mad at you. I could never be mad at you." Maura said through tears.

Beep.

"I love you, you know that. I love you and I need you to come back to me. Okay? Just please come back. I know it hurts, but I will be here for you every step of the way."

Beep.

"Just like before. I will be here for you. In physical therapy, at home, at work. Anything you need, I will be able to do okay. Just please, please come back." Maura cried as she reached for Jane's hand. She let her fingers drop lightly against Jane's hand. She traced delicate little circles around all of her fingers. After a few minutes Maura interlaced her own fingers with Jane's. Maura pulled her arm up onto the bed and placed her head against it. She let out gentle sobs and eventually fell asleep at the foot of Jane's hospital bed.

Beep.

The medical examiner did not leave her spot at the foot of Jane's bed for three days. She sat idly as nurses, doctors, family, friends, and other officers shuffled in and out of the hospital room. If it hadn't been for Ma Rizzoli's constant nagging, Maura would still be in her pajamas. But, the ever helpful Ma Rizzoli picked up a few things for Maura each time she would return to the guest house there. As Maura sat in the chair at the edge of Jane's hospital bed, she watched all of the monitors and recorded down Jane's stats every hour on the hour. She would continue to do this until 5:34pm the next day.

At 5:30pm, Jane's heart rate rose, her brain activity spiked, and another monitor started buzzing. Nurses came running into the room and checked a few things before they turned to Maura.

"She's waking up now." A nurse smiled to Maura. "She's going to be in a lot of pain. Not to mention, extremely confused as to why she's in the hospital. It'll be good for her to see a familiar face. So go ahead, sit with her." the nurse finished.

Maura could only let out a few tears and she nodded as she returned to her spot at the end of Jane's bed. She once again reached for Jane's hand, this time sandwiching it between her own. Maura watched as color suddenly returned to Jane's face. Jane's head turned a little and her shut eyes began to flutter. Maura smiled and began to rub Jane's hands gently.

"Shh... Jane, honey, it's me, Maura. You're in the hospital. You took a bullet to the shoulder. You're going to be fine now, but you gave us all a little scare. Bullet was close to hitting a major artery, you would've bled out in minutes. But, you got really lucky. And now you're going to be fine, okay? I'm right here for you okay. Just wake up when you're ready." Maura whispered.

Maura repeated that messaged a few times over the next few minutes as Jane struggled to wake up. At 5:34pm, Jane's eyes opened fully. She blinked a few times and looked around the room. She made eye contact with Maura and let her tears begin to fall. Jane could feel Maura's hands on her so she gripped Maura's hands tightly and began to cry.

"Oh, Jane" Maura cried.

"Maur-" Jane began coughing. The pain made her face scrunch up and she let out a sigh. "Maura, I'm sorry I" she coughed again "I'm sorry I missed breakfast. I was really looking forward to my fresh-freshly squeezed orange juice" Jane finished. The length of her sentence made her weakly cough and mixed with a gentle laugh.

"Oh, Jane" Maura began again. She stood from the foot of Jane's bed and placed a gentle kiss against Jane's forehead. Maura pulled away and then gently held Jane's face. The two women smiled at each other.

"I'm happy to see you alive, Jane" Maura joked as she rubbed her thumbs against Jane's strong jaw.

"I'm happy to see you too, Maura. I had to come back though, I had some unfinished business to tend to." Jane smiled.

"What's that?" Maura asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"Come closer. I have to tell you a secret that I've been hiding for a very long time." Jane smiled again. Maura inched forward, her face now inches from Jane's. She wondered if Jane knew what she was saying or if this was all a drug induced.

"Closer, Maura." Jane begged. "I'm tired and weak but I have to tell you right now. It's important!" Maura moved a little closer and turned her face so that her ear was right in front of Jane's mouth. Jane used her unharmed arm to reach up to Maura's face. She lightly touched Maura's cheeks and then turned Maura's face so that her real target was right in front of her face. Jane pushed herself up and placed her lips gently against Maura's, still holding her face in place. Jane pulled back and then placed another gentle, sweet kiss against Maura's lips.

"Some secret, huh?" Jane joked.

"Yes," Maura smiled "I guess it's only fair if I tell you one as well." And before Jane could even say a sarcastic response Maura's lips were against Jane's and each woman could feel the other smiling.


	7. Just A Dream

Author's Note: I would like to apologize in advance for the hate that I am going to receive for this chapter. Also, ignore the probably highly inaccurate medical terms and symptoms. I would also like to apologize for the extreme delay between updates. I am just a little college student trying to finish the semester so I don't have as much time to write this as I would like. Thanks to those who are reading and reviewing! Keep it up :)

Just A Dream

When Jane actually woke up from her deep, medically induced sleep she realized that what she had thought was reality was just a dream. There were a few things about her dream that were true. First, Jane was indeed shot, but not in the shoulder like her mind had dreamed. Instead, her pain was focused on her center. She was not sure where but she knew that it was below the chest and above the waist because everywhere else felt numb. The center of her torso, however, felt like there was an anvil sitting on top of her. The second aspect of her dream that had carried over to reality was that Dr. Maura Isles as indeed hunched over the hospital bed asleep. To realize this, Jane had to use every muscle in her neck to look up and around the room. A passing nurse noticed that Jane was awake and moving around and rushed into the room in a panic. Jane used all of her strength to lift an arm up to her own face and hold a single finger over her mouth, a silent message to the nurse to remain quiet so as to not disturb Maura. The nurse nodded and silently pulled a chair over to sit even with Jane towards to top of the bed. Jane went to speak but found that her dry throat and chest muscles would not allow it. Panic immediately set in as the detective realized she could not speak.

"Jane, it's okay" the nurse began, "You were shot on the scene" and suddenly the images were rushing through Jane's head faster than someone flipping through pictures in book. Her reality was mixed with the dreams that she had experienced and images of her dying on the street swirled with images of her kissing Maura in her dream. She was extremely confused but decided that listening to the nurse describe the events would most likely help her organize all the information in her brain.

"Jane, you took a bullet to the chest. The bullet went through your 5th left rib, and through your left lung. It was lodged right near your spine and the surgeons were able to extract it immediately and repair your injured lung. You were very lucky, Jane. Just a few inches over and that bullet would have destroyed your spinal cord paralyzing you from there down. But, your lung is still very weak and it is going to take some time for your lung to heal before you can breathe again on your own. And even then it's going to hurt. After recovery, you'll have to go to a few weeks of physical therapy in order to regain your core strength and rebuild and strengthen your lungs." The nurse whispered all of the information into Jane's ear so that Maura would not wake up and when she finished telling Jane all of the information, she began to check on the machines, Jane's stats, and then after scribbling something down she whispered to Jane that she would be back every hour to check on her. Until then, it would be best for Jane to rest.

After the nurse left, Jane wanted nothing more than to break down and cry her eyes out. But, she reasoned, that the sobbing would be loud and painful two things she wanted to avoid at all costs. Being her stubborn self, Jane opted not to try to go back to sleep. After looking at the calendar and clock on the far wall, Jane realized that she had been out for over 48 hours. She quickly looked down to Maura who looked like she had been awake for 48 hours straight. As much as Jane wanted Maura to wake up so that she could see that Jane was okay, she realized that disturbing her would be pointless since she could not speak anyway. Jane's stubborn desire to stay awake lasted about fifteen minutes. Her eyes were heavy and her brain was so confused. Every time she looked down at the sleeping Maura her mind filled with the image of the two women kissing each other sweetly. Jane was not sure how to feel about these images, her body was numb, but her brain was on fire switching between reasoning that these images of the doctor and detective sharing an intimate moment were the result of a drugs in her bloodstream, or that the moment was the climatic culmination of all of their flirty banter and extremely close friendship. Jane was not sure which option she wanted it to be. She closed her eyes again to try to see the image again but instead she fell into another sleep.

Forty-five minutes later, on perfect que, the nurse arrived and tapped Jane's shoulder lightly to wake her up. Jane's eyes fluttered open at the contact and she looked to see the nurse standing over her with a cup of water.

"Drink" she whispered still aware of the sound asleep medical examiner. Jane struggled to swallow the liquid and her face winced as she felt the water travel down her throat. She tried to groan but she did not make a sound. "Jane, I'm going to do some movement tests, okay? When you feel me touch somewhere just try to move that area for me okay?" Jane nodded slowly and watched as the nurse began with Jane's hands. Looking down at her scarred hands reminded her of the pain she felt when Hoyt lunged scalpels into her hands pinning her to the floor. Her hands tightened at the thought and the nurse noticed and smiled "Okay, hand movement looks good. Thanks, but next time let me touch it first okay?" Jane again nodded and the nurse traveled to Jane's feet where she gently tapped at the detective's big toe. Jane could only slightly feel the pressure through the blanket, but she did feel it so she tried desperately to wiggle her toes. They moved slightly back and forth successfully. The nurse scribbled something else down before returning to Jane's side and whispering "movement looks good so far. You're on a long road to recovery. You'll have a lot of major setbacks, you know this from the last time, but it's the small victories that you need to hold on to. keep them tight because each little victory will add up to the big grand prize- you walking out of these hospital doors on your last day of physical therapy and not having to come back. You're a good patient, Jane, but we would really prefer it if you stopped coming in through the ER doors with gaping holes through parts of your body. If you really want to visit, we have a main entrance." the nurse smiled and so did Jane. She reminded her that she would be back in an hour and then left the room.

Jane looked down to her feet where Maura's hunched body was leaning and she let out a soft snore. Jane smiled and decided that she no longer wanted to make Maura wait. She figured that if she were in her position, the roles reversed, she would want to be woken up the second that Maura did. How to do this? Jane wondered. She tried to make a coughing sound with her throat but failed miserably and the attempt sent a sharp pain through her chest. Jane realized that the medical examiner's elbow was near Jane's left foot. If Jane could just get her foot and ankle to turn enough, it might ruffle the blankets enough to wake up the medical examiner. So Jane tried, fruitlessly at first. The blanket was simply moving against Maura's elbow and it did not cause her to stir. Jane knew it would be hard and would probably cause her chest to rip open at the fresh seams and she would start bleeding everywhere. But, Jane decided, that letting Maura know that she was okay was worth the risk of a getting a few reddish-brown stains on the hospital gown.

Jane tucked her left arm under her behind and onto the back of her thigh. She gripped her own skin there and then tried with all of her strength to lift her left leg just high enough so that when it dropped back to the bed it would cause Maura to jump up. After a few seconds of struggling to lift her leg a few inches into the air, Jane reached the height and quickly moved her left hand out from underneath her leg therefore removing the support and causing her leg to fall with a decisive thug against the hospital bed. At the sound and feeling Maura shot up, sleep immediately disappearing from her eyes as she looked solemnly at the detective. The sight of Maura looking at her nearly killed Jane. Maura's eyes were deep red, sunken in, tired, and clearly had been over worked by Maura's tear ducts. Jane smiled at her flabbergasted friend and the foot of the bed. She wanted to say more, do more, but she just sat in the bed and curved her lips upwards at the medical examiner.

"Jane..." Maura whispered almost in disbelief.

Jane nodded and tears welled in her eyes and began to fall slowly down her face.

"Oh, Jane... Thank God you are awake. I thought I lost you." Maura began crying as well as she reached her hand towards Jane's. Maura stopped right before their hands were about to meet and looked up at Jane, a tear falling from her eye. "Is it okay if I- Will it hurt if I- Can I-" Maura's hand was moving back and forth just like her words and the detective could no longer stand it so she closed the distance and interlocked her hand with Maura's. At the contact, Maura reached her other hand over and held Jane's hand between her own.

"Jane, I am so glad you are okay. You really had me worried when you didn't show up for breakfast- Oh, breakfast. I completely forgot about all the food I had made you. It's still sitting out on the table for days now." Jane looked at her confused and Maura felt the need to clarify. "Jane, do you remember? You left early to go help out with the possible bank robbery and you promised me, you promised me that you would come back if I made you breakfast so I did. I made everything you asked for, even the freshly squeezed orange juice! And I waited, Jane. I waited hours for you to come back and you never did. And-And then I heard" Maura was beginning to sob "I heard you were shot and I left immediately to come here and haven't been back since." Maura finished and Jane could only smile and nod because she was completely incapable of anything else. Jane moved her fingers between Maura's and tightened her grip which made the medical examiner look up from the spot of the floor which she had suddenly been so interested in. Maura was looking directly into Jane's eyes now and Jane had a few stray tears falling down the side of her face. Maura watched as her facial muscles moved all about. Jane was trying to do something so Maura simply waited for the detective to do whatever it was that she was going to do. Maura looked up at Jane with sympathetic eyes and then noticed that Jane's mouth was moving slightly, but no sounds were coming out. She kept making the same movement over and over again. After squinting and focusing on the movements, Maura's best guess was that Jane was mouthing "I'm sorry, Maura" over and over again. And, as expected, the medical examiner's guess was right.


	8. Unfolding Secrets

Author's note: Again, apologizing in advance for the lack of updates. This will probably be the last for a few days... College unfortunately sucks. I really appreciate all of you who are reading and reviewing :) Keep it up! When I see reviews it inspires me to keep going! Even if it means postponing my multiple 20 pages papers :/ Hope you all enjoy!

Unfolding Secrets

A few days later, Jane's lungs had recovered enough that she could once again speak. It felt like a thousand daggers scratching down her chest to do it and her voice sounded even more horse than usual, but she could do it and no one knew. Whenever the nurses or her mother asked her to try to speak, she would make a noble attempt and then just begin coughing and breathing heavily. It hurt like hell to fake that she couldn't speak, all the coughing made her eyes feel like they were going to fall out of her head, but Jane did not want her first words post near-death experience to be wasted on a passing nurse or angry responses to her mother's constant nagging. Jane wanted her first words to be appreciated and heard, and the only person that Jane knew really heard and appreciated what Jane had to say was one Dr. Maura Isles.

It was after 8pm on a Friday night and Jane's family had left on the promise to return early tomorrow. As annoying as they were, they did bring Jane some things that she had left at home or in her squad car. Instead of the scratchy hospital gown, Jane was now sporting Frankie's BPD tee-shirt (she needed the bigger size to allow her gauze some room to breathe) and some yoga pants. Her mother tied her unruly black curls into a pony tail that Jane typically reserved for active duty. Frankie had assured her that her car was driven from the alley and was now parked outside of her apartment. building. He brought Jane her cell phone and a charger, but it had been dead so she hadn't been able to see any missed calls or messages until now.

Around 8:15 that night, Jane's phone beeped letting her know that it had been fully charged. She reached over to the bedside table and yanked it from the charger, powering it on as she returned to her position in the hospital bed. After a minute or so of power up noises and adjusting to the new day, her phone began to flash full of messages and missed calls. The last time Jane had used her phone it was to text Maura minutes before she was shot. She remembered telling the medical examiner not to forget the orange juice, and that she had replied that she wouldn't dream of it. A new message from only minutes later that day was at the top of her texts lists. She tapped open her conversation between herself and Maura and read all of the missed messages beginning with the one from minutes before the shooting that read:

M: "Jane, please, please be careful. Don't do anything stupid or reckless. I...love you too much to lose you. Be careful and see you soon."

About an hour and a half later there were a few more messages that read "Jane, your breakfast is cold. You better not be eating at the office. My hands hurt from squeezing the oranges."

...

"Okay, I was only teasing. I did squeeze the orange juice though. Had to put it back in the fridge though since it was getting warm. Everything okay? I thought this was going to be an in-and-out?"

...

"Jane, please tell me you are safe. I swear, if you are safe and ignoring me I am going to be furious."

...

"Again, I won't be that mad. I just need to know that you are safe." ... It had been over 2 hours at this point, Jane was bleeding out on the street waiting for the ambulance.

"Jane... :(" All of these messages pulled at Jane's heart and made her gut hurt for making Maura worry. But the last of the messages ended with a frowning face and Dr. Maura Isles never, never used an emotocon.

Jane closed the messages, she could not deal with the sadness anymore. And the fact that there were also 5 missed calls from Maura that had followed these messages just made her want to crawl up into a ball of regret and cry. Instead she coughed and wiped a few tears just in time for Maura to come walking through the door.

"Hey, Jane!" she smiled and Jane returned one wanting to keep her little secret a secret until the perfect time.

"The nurses said you are doing better today! And that tomorrow we should try to get up you up and walking!" Maura smiled looking around trying to find Jane's chart. Jane leaned up and pat the end of her bed, an open invitation for Maura to join her. Jane looked up at Maura and smiled, rubbing large circles around at the foot of her bed, Maura nodded to let her now that she would join her and then began taking off her coat. Jane closed her eyes for a little bit, recognizing that Maura would take a while. She opened her eyes when she felt Maura sit on the end of her bed.

Jane opened her eyes to see Maura sitting pretzel style leaning back slightly against the foot of the bed. She had taken off her shoes and was wearing socks, yoga pants, and Jane's BPD sweatshirt, her hair tied back lightly in a beautiful braid. The sight made Jane weak, she smiled and softened her eyes turning her head slightly as her eyes began to fill up with water. Jane had never seen someone so effortlessly beautiful in all her life and the fact made her both weak and scared. Maura laughed at the sight of an emotional Jane and simply asked "What?"

It was not yet the perfect moment to speak, so instead Jane lifted her phone and opened to Maura's messages, scrolling up to the top message. When she reached her destination, Jane handed the phone over to Maura who accepted it and cleared her throat before she read the message aloud.

"Jane, please, please be careful. Don't do anything stupid or reckless. I...love you too much to lose you. Be careful and see you soon."

Re-reading the message a loud made both women tear up a little bit. Recognizing that she was the only one who could communicate, Maura added "It's true, Jane. I love you too much to lose you. You really had me worried." Jane gave Maura a knowing nod as Maura bent her head down. Jane coughed and cleared her throat wanting this to come out as perfectly as possible. At the sound, Maura's head shot up and she was making eye contact with Jane. Jane lifted one finger as she continued to cough letting Maura know that she needed a minute. Maura moved closer to Jane, enough that she could reach her hand and comfort her friend as she coughed in pain.

"I love you, Maura Isles." Jane whispered so softly that Maura almost did not hear it. Their hands tightened around each other and Maura remained silent, allowing Jane the time to speak if she chose to take it. After a few seconds, Jane regained enough strength to whisper again, "I am sorry that you have to worry about me"

"I wouldn't have it any other way" Maura interrupted.

"Maura, you are my best friend, we are incredibly close and we don't keep secrets from each other." Maura nodded as Jane continued, "But, I have been keeping one from you for a long time. And I-I don't want to keep it a secret anymore."

Maura looked extremely confused but she rose from the bed and then sat down on the edge by Jane's side- never releasing her hand the entire time. Jane thought about how this had played out in her dream, how similar it already was, but this time it was reality- she could feel it in the warmth of Maura's hand on hers.

"What is it, Jane?" Maura asked

"Maura, I have been falling in love with you since the day we met. I have never, and will never, meet anyone as effortlessly beautiful as you are inside and out." Jane had to clear her throat again and took the moment to wipe tears from Maura's face. "I know it's a shock, but you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I never want to let that go. I will always fight for you, Maura because you are worth fighting for. If I had to take a thousand bullets to have you, I would do it" she laughed and then added "These past few weeks you've been telling me how much I mean to you and I-I never said how much you mean to me. You are my world, my everything..."

Jane had more to say, more to explain but her chest hurt from all the speaking and crying. Maura was crying too, but she was smiling when she said "Oh, Jane" and tightened her grip on her hand as she leaned forward getting incredibly close to the detective's face. Maura reached a hand to Jane's face, wiping the tears away and laughing to herself.

"Do you find this funny?" Jane coughed, clearly hurt.

"No, Jane." Maura began and dropped her hand form her face. "It's just that, for as good of a detective as you are, you are really bad at putting clues together."

Jane hadn't yet caught on and she deadpanned "Because I work with dead people clues. It's a different language, I'm bad with the living."

Maura laughed again. "Well, Jane, lucky for you, I speak the language of the dead."

Before Jane could even ask what, Maura leaned forward and placed a sweet, gentle kiss on Jane's lips. Maura pulled away and then pressed her face into Jane's- their noses touching lightly only to be separated for a brief second as they turned their heads to unite their lips again.


	9. Dancing With Weights

Author's note: So, again I would like to apologize for the delay between updates. Still at college, still very busy and will remain busy for the next 2 weeks. Want to thank you all again for reading and reviewing! It's delightful to get messages from all of you. I am open to suggestions for where you think the story should go / where you would want to see them. Message me, I don't bite :)

A few weeks later...

Dancing With Weights

Jane's body was searing red. Her cheeks and chest were glowing red and sweat beads dripped down her face and neck. She had been over working her body, moving too much, and she was drenched because of it.

"Jane, I think that is enough. You look like you are about to pass out. Take it easy for the next few hours, okay?" the physical therapist asked. Jane simply grunted as she viciously threw the medicine ball from her grip. It rolled loudly and hit the wall with a decisive thud. Maura furrowed her eyes brows towards Jane, clearly scolding her, and then looked to the physical therapist with a smile and said, "Don't worry, doctor. I will be with her and will make sure she follows your orders."

"That's what worries me." the Dr. mumbled under his breath hoping Maura wouldn't hear. But, she had.

"Excuse me?" she asked softly

The doctor then quickly turned to check to see if Jane was in earshot- she was not, her attention had been focused on picking the medicine ball up off the ground and retunring it to it's rack in the back closet.

"I am worried that you will be with her, Dr. Isles. She is incredibly strong for someone who just had a bullet rip through their system. She knows it too. She knows that she is nearly 100% and she feels powerful- on top of the world. I can see it in her eyes. She's going to try to prove it to you so watch out." he warned.

"How do you mean?" she looked confused.

"Oh, Dr. Isles, there is no hiding it anymore. Jane let it slip by accident a few weeks ago. We had predicted that today was going to be the last day of physical therapy and she told me that you were going to join her on her last day. So, we marked it on her calendar and every single day since then she has been working harder than ever, stopping at nothing. She's always down here with 'bout 120 pounds of weights in her arms and she just moves around the room. It's quite funny actually, it looks like she is dancing around with a barbell. I caught her about a few weeks ago. She was spinning around the room with the weights and turned and saw me standing here at the door confused. She immediately dropped the barbell to the ground and just stood there." he laughed at the memory, "so then I asked her what she was doing? Why she felt like she needed to be able to dance around a room with about 120 pounds of weight."

Maura blushed. She knew what was coming and the thought made her smile.

"Jane told me that when she got out of here she was going to take you on a proper date suited for a lady. Mentioned that you would want to go dancing because you liked getting dressed up and she didn't mind wearing a suit if it meant you were going to be happy. She said that she was the man and that a proper gentleman leads a lady in dance. Said she had to get back to 100% as soon as possible because as soon as she can, she's going to take you on that proper date. Hope you're prepared Dr. Isles, because Jane says she plans on sweeping you off your feet."

Maura's face had grown an incredible shade of red, her heart fluttered in her chest and she couldn't help but smile like a giddy child when Jane walked back into the room and towards her. The detective and the physical therapist exchanged a few words, discussed a healthy exercise regime for her to do while her scars healed. He have her the all clear and winked at the two women when he said that Jane was cleared for all physical activities. With that, he smiled and left the two women standing alone in the therapy room.

As soon as the double doors swung shut and the doctor was out of sight Jane grabbed Maura and spun her around into a dip. Maura smiled foolishly and was laughing as she looked up into Jane's eyes. Jane looked incredibly serious. The sweat had settled and now determination could be seen dripping from her face. Maura let out a soft laugh from the position before she lifted her arm up and around Jane's neck pulling their faces together slowly. Maura stopped pulling just inches form her face and watched as Jane looked into her eyes then down at Maura's slightly pink lips and back up to her eyes. The detective was reading her, waiting for permission, waiting for action.

Maura smirked, "Kiss me." she demanded simply.

Jane leaned up slightly at the demand, clearly taken aback. Then she smiled, a patent Jane Rizzoli smile and would have made Maura swoon into the arms that she was already in.

"Just kiss me."

"Well," Jane began, "If you insist." Jane lowered her face again, gently dropping her lips onto Maura's. She let her lips just stay there for a moment, she was taking in the soft, moisture of them and cataloging it into her brain. Jane thought that the medical examiner's lips were the softest things that she would ever feel. She also thought that they tasted faintly of caramel and chocolate. To put it simply, her lips tasted exactly like she would have imagined. The taste suited Maura, it reminded her of sweet, simple, luxury. After a few seconds, Maura opened her lips, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. She could feel Jane's lips crashing against her teeth. It was not a dominate crash; it was gentle and calculated, a perfect ratio of give and take, like the way waves crash against the shore, and slowly retreat- gripping at anything they can in order to linger there just a moment longer. Jane pulled away from the kiss, fearing that allowing it to go on any longer would result in the two of them in a compromising position on the physical therapy floor. She scolded herself immediately for pulling away, recognizing the sadness on Maura's face. Dammit, Jane. Don't ruin this one. She placed another quick peck onto Maura's lips and then lifted her from her lowered position. Jane walked forward towards the exit and then had to turn around to grab the hand of the medical examiner to pull her out of the room. She was standing stunned, her lips swollen and faced flushed. The sight made Jane laugh as she grabbed Maura's hand and interlaced their fingers.

"C'mon, Maura. No sense in waiting around here all day. Besides, I've got some plans for us tonight." Maura was speechless, could only nod as she was lead by the detective out of the building.

In the parking lot, their cars were parked next to each other and Maura was leaning against her driver door, gently rolling her keys in her hand. Jane was leaned on the car opposite, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Maura," Jane began and waited until their eyes meet before she continued "I am going to pick you up at your house at 6:30. Dress nice- I, I mean you always dress nice, you always look beautiful... but this time, dress very nice like when we went to the Fairfield's house. Like that." Jane realized that her invitation was not at all suave or confident like she aways was. After all, nothing scared Jane Rizzoli. Okay, Maura scarred Jane Rizzoli, but that was only because Jane was terrified of ruining everything, petrified that she was going to screw this up and lose the one person in her life that she gave damn about. Maura spun her ring around her finger as she nodded. Jane could tell that they were both unsure, both nervous. Dammit, Jane. Be a man! Do something. Don't just stand there! Go do something confident, make her know that you in this! C'mon, Jane! Jane's inner monologue was urging her to do something spontaneous. The only thing she could think of made her chuckle, out loud by accident, and the noise made Maura look up.

"What?" she asked.

Jane did not say anything. Instead, she dropped her arms from their crossed position and took the two steps to close the distance between them- effectively pinning Maura Isles up against her car. The sudden proximity made Maura drop her keys to the ground, her arms dangled loosly by her sides. Jane confidently slipped a hand around her waist and the other gripped Maura's face, tracing her cheek with her fingers. Jane tightened her grip on both hands and pulled Maura even closer than they already were- their noses were once again pressed together and before Jane could kiss Maura again Maura whispered, "I'm scared" the breath from the confession hit Jane's lips and she lifted her face slightly, placing a kiss on the end of Maura's nose, and then pressing their noses and foreheads together. Their eyes were both closed, cheats heaving and eyes fluttering "me too" Jane muttered and then kissed Maura just as passionately as she had only a few minutes earlier.

Maura was being owned, she thought. Jane's mouth was taking over her own, her whole body if she was being honest. From her position, Maura could only lean against her car, it was the only thing keeping her upright at the moment. She opened her mouth allowing Jane to take full possession. Jane gently snuck her tongue into Maura's mouth and could only smile when she discovered that it too tasted like caramel and chocolate. It was intoxicating and Jane could not get enough. She continued to push her tongue farther into Maura's mouth, only ever so slightly, until their tongues briefly touched and the warm contact made the doctor moan into Jane's mouth. Once again, Jane backed away from the medical examiner.

"I think we should stop now." Jane chuckled.

"Why?" Maura questioned.

"Because, if we keep going at it like this, we're going to end up naked in this parking lot. And, I don't know what you have heard, Dr. Isles, or what you are used to, but I am not one to sleep with someone before I even take them out at least three times." Jane was joking, of course, but Maura missed that cue. She took it seriously but then decided to joke to Jane.

"We'll see about that after tonight." Maura smiled and then stood on the tips of her toes to place another kiss against Jane's mouth, but only allowed their lips to be in proximity, not touching, but so very close. Instead of kissing Jane, Maura simply whispered against her lips, "be at my house at 6:30, not a minute later" and then she returned to the heels of her feet and backed away from the detective. Jane slammed a foot into the ground and shook her arms angrily at the fact that Maura was already teasing her, already withholding kisses.

"You're going to be the death of me, Dr. Maura Isles!" Jane yelled as Maura climbed into her car.

Maura let out a soft laugh and closed her car door not even giving Jane an answer. She left Jane standing stunned in the parking lot as she drove away with a large smile on her face.


	10. Unrelated: It Started With A Question

So I only have a few days left of school so I'll be able to write more! Yay. But I was thinking of starting a new story and would love love to get thoughts on whether or not I should do it. Was sitting in the librarybSo please please private message or review this chapter with your thoughts. I am sorry that I haven't updated in a long time, I will soon I promise! But please leave your thoughts :)

This would probably be just a short little one shot.

Title: It Started With A Question

Everything was going as it normally did on the average Tuesday night. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about it- the routine was down and everything was in the place that it always turned out to be in.

Maura was seated at one end of the couch, dressed comfortably in yoga pants and Jane's BPD sweatshirt that she always asked to wear after about an hour of being in Jane's apartment. She would claim there was a draft, but the air was never on, the windows were always shut. If she were being honest with herself, she would accept that she does this not because it removes a chill, but because Jane's scent wrapped around her body is far more comforting than any meditative technique she's ever tried. Jane sat on the other end, wearing spandex shorts under old field hockey sweatpants, the black under armor band rested above the roll of her sweatpants. Her tanned midsection was slightly exposed due to her tight tank top rising slightly up. Jane's long legs extended to the opposite end of the couch, ending in her ankles resting on Maura's lap. Maura's hands rested on Jane's ankles, twisting the soft fabric of Jane's sweatpants between her fingers. The television switched to commercials and Maura looked to her left at Jane who was clearly somewhere else. As stated, everything was in place.

After a quiet grumble, Maura decided to use the commercial break to ask Jane a question.

"What do you want to order?" Maura asked, to no response.

She used her hands to grip the detective's ankles hoping the contact would startle her and asked, "Jane, what do you want to eat?"

"You."


	11. Naturally Beautiful

Jane impatiently checked her watch as she waited in line at the grocery store. She groaned and made a comment to herself about how the express line should be moving faster than the other lines. It was 5:30 and she still had to make another stop before she returned home to change and do something about her unruly hair that had grown insanely frizzy with the impending rain. She groaned again as she realized that if she were preparing for a date with anyone else, she wouldn't have cared this much and wouldn't be waiting in line at the grocery store with a bag of Maura's favorite fudge clusters, her own favorite beer, and an expensive bottle of wine that Maura mentioned wanting to try a few weeks ago. Deciding that she could not wait any longer, she gripped the badge on her side and used it to tap the shoulder of the elderly woman in front of her.

"Excuse me, ma'm, my name is Detective Jane Rizzoli, and I am on official police business and it is absolutely imperative that I get back to the station as soon as possible." In order for her lie to seem like a truth, she used her sincerest voice that she mastered back in mandatory sensitivity training. The old lady looked the detective's long form up and down.

"Official police business, hmm?" she began as she slowly craned her neck to be able to look over at the contents of Jane's tote. "Seems to me like you are getting ready for a date. And, since you are a little pale and anxious about getting out of here I assume you are running a bit behind?" she left the question for Jane to answer.

"Yes," Jane laughed as she bent her head down in the embarrassment of being caught in a lie, "You see, I have just recently recovered from a shooting accident and months of physical therapy have prevented me from being able to take my girl-" she caught herself before she could say girlfriend. Were they girlfriends? She continued, "my-uh-someone out on a proper date. And I still need to go get some flowers before I go pick her-them up." she finished flustered as she came out to a random stranger in line.

"Oh, deary, you don't need to be secretive with me. I may be an old lady, but that doesn't mean I can't be up with the times" she laughed at herself before continuing "I think it's absolutely great that you are so anxious to go be with her. Shows a true interest. I hope you have an excellent date, and many many more to come with this special someone" the elder finished before backing up to allow Jane to cut in front of her in line.

Jane smiled before thanking her. As Jane reached for her cash to hand to the cashier, the elder woman spoke again "Oh, no I've got your bill detective, you've got a date to get to!" Again Jane thanked the elder woman as she quickly bagged her purchases. She then grabbed a card from the inside of her blazer and handed it to the older woman.

"If you ever need anything- don't hesitate to call. I owe you one!" The shared smiles before the woman told her to "get" and waved towards the door. Jane ran out of the store and quickly hurried off to her next destination a few blocks down.

She made it to the flower shop in record time and upon arrival looked at her options. She planned on getting tulips because no one really ever bought tulips and Jane thought they were special- like Maura. But then she remembered that she was going on a first date with Dr. Maura Isles, the classiest, most sophisticated person she will ever know. Deciding that it would probably be best to stay on a more traditional route, Jane opted for the dozen red roses. Oh, screw it, she thought. Maura can have tradition and still be unique and individual. With her other hand, she grabbed a bouquet of mixed white and pink tulips and headed for the register. Jane started towards her apartment a few miles away and with the help of her sirens, made it home in a few minutes despite the rush hour traffic.

As Jane battled against time, Maura fought an entirely different battle within the four walls of her walk-in closet. Standing in a bathrobe as wet curls formed around her face, she circled the closet trying to pick the right dress for the occasion- her first date with Detective Jane Rizzoli. As she skimmed over some of her dresses with her fingers, she thought back to when she wore them last. She smiled at the green dress that she wore with Jane to the Fairfields, laughed at the tight blue dress that she wore with Jane to Jane's high school reunion, delighted in the memory of the sky blue dress she wore with Jane when they told Giovanni that they were more than BFFs, she was enjoying her clothes memory until she saw it. The dress. Tucked in the very back corner among dresses she hasn't worn in a while. The unmistakable striped pattern of the red and creme stripped dress that she wore the first time Jane shot herself. She removed it from the rack and held it in her hands. The dry cleaners had done a fantastic job removing Jane's blood from the dress. If only they could have removed the physical and emotional scars from the both of them. Maura held the dress tight and remembered how Jane had stood in front of her when that bastard pulled the gun on them. She remembered how Jane willingly allowed herself to be taken hostage so that Frankie and Maura would be safe. When Maura started to feel the tears, she decided to hang the dress back up, release her grip from the pain of the dress. Instead, she vowed to remember that Jane was a hero that day, and everyday- her own personal super hero.

Ultimately, Maura deiced on a deep purple dress that hugged her form in all of the right places. As she sat at her bureau, she decided to leave most of the make up she would normally wear, off. Instead of dabbing her chest and face in bronzer and cover up, she let her light freckles show. She applied a small amount of eye shadow, liner, and a little mascara to her face and sprayed just enough hairspray to hold in her natural curls and waves. With other dates, she would have done the complete opposite. She would have spent time carefully covering her freckles and imperfections, spent time forcing beauty upon herself. It was different with Jane and she knew that already. She did have to force anything with Jane because everything with Jane was just so natural. So, she decided that natural was the look she was going for.

"Dammit Jane, why don't you own any decent clothes. Maura's going to look like she just stepped off the runway and you're going to look like you just stepped out of a dumpster- that is also a crime scene" She verbally chastised herself as she tore through her drawers and closet looking for something halfway decent to wear. She settled for only slightly wrinkled tight black slacks that were at the bottom of the drawer with the tags still on them. As she shook them out, a card fell from in between the folds and dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Written across the front was the unmistakeable script of Dr. Maura Isles who had simply written "Jane". Jane smiled as she tore open the card and read it.

"Jane, I have two areas of expertise: the human body, and fashion. You have only one of these, and I much as I would like it to be, it is not the later. You have an excellent body that many people are extremely jealous of. The next time you feel like caring about how you look, wear these. Because you do not care, you will probably never read this note. But, if you do care, and are reading this now, well I guess you have done yourself a favor by allowing yourself to be as beautiful as you truly are. As you prepare to wear these pants for someone special, remember that I bought these for you and snuck them into your drawers when you weren't looking. So, when the person inevitably compliments you on how gorgeous you are, tell them that you're LLBFF, Maura, got them for you. Now, show off those long legs of yours. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky enough in these pants that that special someone will take them off for you! Love Always, Maura"

Jane could not help but smile as she tossed the card to the side and ripped the tags off of the new slacks. As she buttoned them and looked into the mirror she could not help but think damn, I look good. I should let Maura dress me more often. A dirty thought of Maura slowly pulling the tight black pants off her of her body made her shudder. She shook her head as she slipped her shoes on. She buttoned up the deep purple shirt and left the first few open, exposing her chest and a white undershirt. She found a black cardigan, wondered how it got there, and then put it on as well. As she stood in the mirror looking at her unruly hair, she realized there wasn't really anything else for her to do but run some anti-frizz serum through it and hope that the humidity and rain would hold off until her date was over. She kissed Jo Friday's head and scratched her chin before leaving the apartment and taking the short drive over to Maura's.

Jane pulled into Maura's driveway at exactly 6:20pm and Maura noted that Jane was early and rose to look out slightly cracked her bedroom window to see Jane approach her front door. She could not see what Jane was wearing, but she could hear the detective's heels clicking against the pavement as she paced the length of her car, throwing her arms wildly about. She listened in, but could only hear parts of her friend's speech to herself.

"Jane Rizzoli, don't you are screw this up... Maura is the best that you can ever do... She is the greatest person in your life... If you don't fight for her and work at this...You'll lose her... You can't lose her, Jane. She is your everything! Dammit! You fight, Rizzoli! You've always been a fighter so get in there and fight!" Jane had stopped pacing and returned to the passenger side of the car to get something out. Maura stepped away from the window and started to make her way downstairs. After a few moments, she heard the distinct knock of Jane Rizzoli. It was soft, nervous very different from the knocks issued by Detective Jane Rizzoli, those were powerful, demanding. Maura could not decide which she liked better. She approached the door, took a deep breath and then opened it to find that Jane had her back to her. At the sound of the creaking door, Jane turned slowly to reveal a bouquet of roses, tulips, and a bag of her favorite fudge clusters. The sight of a well dressed, nervous Jane, holding so many flowers warmed Maura's heart and she could only bring herself to reach her hand to her heart and let out a soft, "Jane"

"Hello, Maura" Jane smiled and smoothly leaned in to kiss Maura's cheek. She pulled back and handed her the flowers. "These are for you!" she unoriginally presented and then decided that Maura deserved more than that, "I was going to get you tulips because no one ever gets tulips and I think they are uniquely beautiful- like you" she shyly smiled before continuing "but then, the roses were traditional and classic- also like you. And I couldn't make a choi-" she was cut off by Maura's lips against her own. A brief, sweet kiss that felt as natural as impending April shower threatening above them.

"They're beautiful. I love them, thank you." She smiled and allowed Jane into her home. After placing the flowers in vases, Maura turned back towards Jane who was still standing awkwardly at the front door.

"Jane, please come in" Maura laughed "it's not like you haven't been here before."

"Yeah, but it's different now. And I don't wanna take advantage of our friendship and abuse that in our relationship. This is a fresh start, ya know, like a new beginning. And I don't want to screw it up, I've got to do it right." Jane finished as she leaned against the wall.

Maura only smiled and shook her head at the sentiment.

"Maura, you look- I mean you are, simply beautiful." Jane whispered as she lifted her head and nervously played with the scars on her hands.

"Thank you, Jane. You look very dapper yourself. You normally wear those baggy slacks that I hate so much. Where did you get these?" Maura asked

"You" Jane joked, "found them in the bottom of my drawer. How long ago did you put them there Maur?"

Maura looked to her left in thought, realization came across her face, "Oh, those! Years ago, Jane. I think after I fell asleep on your bed during the Merch case. I went out and got you something new and nice because everything else was so..." she paused deciding that insulting Jane's fashion sense was probably not the best way to begin a date.

Jane was going to make a comment back, but decided against it and instead said, "Look at you, Maura. Changing me for the better already and we haven't even left for our first date." Jane joked and Maura smiled.

"Oh, Jane, I've been doing it for years now. You just haven't noticed yet" Maura laughed as she linked her arm under Jane's elbow and led them outside. "Let's get to that date, shall we?"

"We shall!" Jane laughed and then leaned in to kiss Maura's cheek.

The two ladies walked arm in arm to Jane's car where she opened the door for Maura and helped her into the seat. As she walked around the car to the driver's side, she took a deep breath. This is it, Rizzoli. Do this right and this is the last, first date you'll ever go on. With that, she opened the car door, started the engine, and drove towards their first destination.


	12. Celebrating Firsts

Celebrating Firsts

At every stop light en route to their destination, Jane looked to her right and smiled at Maura. She caught her doing it every time, and each glance made Maura's cheeks a delicate shade of pink and made her giggle while asking Jane what she was looking at. Jane would not reply, she would simply smile and then focus her attention back to the road. Maura was growing increasingly frustrated and finally asked

"Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something wrong with my face?" at the thought Maura brought her hands to her own face and frantically looked into the side-mirrors trying to see if there was anything on her face. Jane laughed at the very thought of Dr. Maura Isles having and imperfections. She gently grabbed Maura's hands and intertwined them with her own. Jane then pulled the hands up to her face and brought her lips to Maura's knuckles to kiss them gently.

"There is nothing wrong with your face. You are stunning, always. I was just admiring you, that's why I kept looking over." Jane smiled and dropped their hands to the center console of the car. The light turned green and Jane removed one hand and gripped the steering wheel as maneuvered around the streets of Boston.

"I also wanted to make sure you were still there. That I wasn't dreaming or anything, that I was truly here... on a date... with you." Jane finished a little embarrassed.

"Oh, Jane" Maura awed and then lifted herself out of the seat a little so that she could reach her lips to Jane's cheek. She smiled as she saw pink color Jane's cheeks. Returning to her formal position, she added that Jane was very sweet before returning to the comfortable and accustomed silence.

A few minutes later, Jane pulled into a dark and empty parking lot just outside of the city. Jane could tell Maura was very confused and worried about how this was going to play out. Deciding to lighten the mood, Jane joked "Maura, I need you to put this blindfold on. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that, I just want to surprise you."

"Okay," Maura tentatively brought the blindfold to her face and began to tie it around her head "I trust you, Jane. Just lead the way."

"Well, actually... I'm going to leave you in here for just a second I need to set something up, okay?"

Maura nodded and with that Jane exited the car and closed her door shut. She opened the trunk of the car, pulled out some of its contents, and then shut it with a loud bang. She could see Maura's silhouette shake with the sudden sound so as Jane passed Maura's side of the car she said sorry.

Jane paced frantically around the open field of the park struggling to carry all of the supplies and look at the GPS coordinates on her phone. As soon as she got to her destination, she laid down the blankets and towels that she brought. Dropping to her knees, Jane frantically set up pillows, candles, the expensive wine, her beer, and the picnic basket containing their meals. Finally, she pulled the candles from her back pocket and set them around the little area she had created. She thanked God for the still night and light the candles. She stood and looked down at her creation. Perfect, she thought. Damn, Rizzoli. Who knew you were such a romantic. She laughed to herself, oh it had only just began.

Jane swiftly walked back to the car and opened Maura's door. The warm night air comforted Maura almost as much as the scent of Jane hovering above her. As she turned to exit the car, she was surprised to feel Jane's arms reaching under her knees and around her back. The contact made Maura gasp and Jane reassured her, telling her that it was just Jane and that she didn't want to ruin Maura's shoes so she was going to carry her. Maura couldn't contain her dimpled smile as she enjoyed the slight bounce that came from being carried by someone with as much swagger as Jane Rizzoli. Jane gently laid Maura down against the pillows and then stood above her, telling her she could remove the blindfold. Maura's eyes took in the night view of the city directly in front of her and then with her mouth slightly open, she turned in all directions to look around at the empty park and the beautiful picnic.

"This is beautiful, Jane." Maura awed as she pulled the detective's hand motioning for her to join her on the ground. Jane sat cross legged facing Maura and then opened the picnic basket removing a beer for herself and popping open the bottle of wine and pouring Maura a glass. She handed her the glass and Maura thanked her.

"To first dates! Here's to hoping there are many more to follow!" Jane toasted before clinking glasses with Maura and taking a sip of her beer. Jane then continued removing the food from the basket. All of it was familiar, tuna fish and crackers, peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, Mrs. Rizzoli's gnocchi, a take-out container of chinese food, and a bar of chocolate with gold flecks in it that Jane had once tried to bribe her with, and grilled cheeses. Maura knew something was up, so she asked, "What's all this?" Jane laughed before answering, knowing it was only a matter of time before Maura caught on.

"Because this is our first official date, I wanted to celebrate all of our firsts together," Jane began but Maura only looked confused so Jane continued, "Well... It all started right here at this spot. Four years ago, after Dr. Turner retired, you began working as the medical examiner for BPD. I had just recently been promoted to detective and you and I met right here at this spot. I remember you looked absolutely beautiful. And you were nervous and I was cocky having just been promoted and I thought I could order you around like I did with Dr. Turner. But you fought back, you quickly put me in my place and I wasn't expecting that- a challenge, ya know? But I thought hey, this girl's just like you Jane, a woman in a predominately male field, she's had to learn how to fight back too. So, I apologized remember? Korsak nearly spit his coffee at the sight of me saying sorry without anyone forcing me too."

"I remember!" Maura interjected, "He came down to the morgue later that day asking about how I was liking my first day. He said that he knew I was going to do well and fit in here because no one had ever made Detective Rizzoli willingly apologize before." Maura smiled.

"Yeah, so that's a first too!" Jane laughed before nervously going on, "But I knew you and I were going to be good friends right then and there. Then the food is kind of self explanatory. We always have tuna fish together when we've got big cases, we always make time for it. I never used to eat when we had a big case, but if it meant going to see and spend time with you, I'd even eat Stanley's socks." The two women laughed together before Jane started again "I shared my peanut butter and fluff sandwich with you when we were working that skateboarding kid's case and it was the first time you had fluff and mom's cooking- though a sandwich doesn't really count as cooking. I brought gnocchi because it's the first meal you ate with my family when I invited you over for dinner after the strangling victims. Chinese is from the BCU case, when I told you that I had got in, you were the only person I ever told, you were the first person I told that secret too. The chocolate with the gold is from our first fight where I learned that I couldn't buy your friendship and that even though I may not think it sometimes, you do have my back."

"And the grilled cheese?"

"Well, that's from the first time you told me that you loved me. Granted, it followed your apology about Tommy trying to kiss you, but it was so powerful to hear those words coming from you. It made me feel so special and good about myself because I thought wow, Jane you must be doing something right because the great Dr. Maura Isles loves you." Jane finished with a slight drop of her head, embarrassed by how romantic she was being. Maura was highly amused and appreciated the sentiment. She leaned across the blanket and placed a short, sweet, and tender kiss on Jane's lips. The mix of beer and wine tingled on their lips as Maura thanked Jane for making this first date so special. Jane reminded her that it had only just begun.

The dinner went very well and the two women flirted and laughed and joked throughout the meal. They enjoyed the variety of tastes in their mouths along with the sweet taste of wine and chocolate. After finishing the meal, they lay on their backs looking up at the sky. Jane tucked one arm under her own head and then reached the other arm down and grabbed Maura's hand. She gently pulled her up so that Maura was resting in Jane's side. Maura lay on her side, softly pressing herself up against Jane and carefully laying her head on Jane's chest. Maura reached her free hand over Jane's stomach and intertwined her fingers with Jane's. The two ladies lay there in silence for a while, just taking in the beauty of the cloudy nighty sky and the cool breeze that had started to creep its way across the park. It's briskness only decreased the distance between the two women as they snuggled closer to each other to keep warm.

Jane glanced down at her watch and saw that it was 9:30. She slowly and carefully began to shift her way out of Maura's embrace. After standing, Jane helped Maura to her feet, placed a quick kiss on her lips, and then pulled her up and into her arms again. Jane placed Maura by the side of the car and told her to wait right there while Jane cleaned everything up. Maura could only laugh as she watched Jane struggle to carry everything back. Jane popped the trunk and then placed all the picnic supplies back into her trunk. She then pulled out a few lanterns, an ipod and some speakers. Maura watched silently as Jane set up a perimeter of lanterns on the pavement of the parking light. The golden glow of the light against the deep black pavement provided just enough light for the two women to be cast in yellowy glows. Jane plugged the ipod into the speakers and quickly scanned through her playlist. When she reached her target and hit play, soft music began playing and she walked over to Maura with an extended hand.

"Maura, may I have the honor of having this dance?"

"Of course!" Maura replied and then placed her dainty hand into Jane's scarred palm. Jane quickly took the lead and had the two women engaged in a steady, slow pace that had them slightly swaying and spinning about. Maura remember that Jane's physical therapist had said that she was constantly dancing around the room with weights, trying to regain her strength so that she could take Maura dancing. Maura assumed they would have gone to a club, but being with just Jane under the cloudy night sky was much better. With that, Jane swept Maura off of her feet into an extravagant lift and spin combination that resulted in Jane holding Maura by the waist high off of the ground. Jane spun them slowly around and took her time bringing Maura's feet back to the ground. Their bodies were pressed closer than they ever had been before. Maura was smiling in delight in the feeling of Jane's strong hands gently moving up her body as she move down closer to Jane's. At the end of the move, Maura's hands were wrapped around Jane's neck and Jane's had wrapped around Maura's hips. They were swaying slowly like 8th graders at this point. Their foreheads and noses touching as the shared in the delight of the closeness of their bodies, the sharing of their breath.

Their contact broke as unwanted rain drops began falling from the sky. Jane cursed and then released her self from Maura, trying desperately to pick up the lanterns and get Maura back in the car before her dress got ruined from the rain. As soon as Jane had gotten the lights and electronics in the trunk and closed it with an angry thunk, Maura grabbed Jane by the wrist and pulled her back into the dance. Jane willingly submitted, closing her eyes to enjoy the feeling of dancing in the rain.

"But, Maura, your dress" Jane weakly pointed out as their foreheads and noses joined again.

"I don't really care. Like you said, this is a night of firsts. This'll just be the first night that I don't mind my clothes getting ruined." Maura laughed.

"What? Why?" Jane asked unsure of why they were still outside even though the rain had considerably picked up.

"Because it means I can do this" Maura said quickly and then rose and closed the gap between them. Pressing their lips together in the first truly passionate kiss they shared the whole evening. They collectively moaned at the feeling of the other opening their mouth and letting their tongues touch and slowly dance and sway like they themselves were. Kissing each other hungrily in the rain was both stimulating and cooling. Their bodies seared and each touch, each finger placed against a cheek, could have steamed. Yet, the rain drops that fell between their faces and down the smooth skin of their faces cooled them. The new experience was exciting for both of them, it was like nothing they had ever experienced before. So they stayed that way, kissing and swaying in the rain, to absolutely no music on that warm September night.

At about 11pm, Jane was walking Maura up to her porch. By now the rain had reduced to a heavy misting, but the two girls were still soaked. Neither really cared though. And as they reached Maura's porch, Jane gently caressed Maura's face, using her thumb to wipe away the very make up that ran down Maura's cheeks.

"Maura, you are beautiful. Thank you for letting me take you out, and thank you for a truly unforgettable night." Jane said weakly before placing a kiss to each of the pinked cheeks of Maura, loosening her grip, and then walking away towards her car.

Maura, honestly, was expecting more than a polite kiss from Jane. The date had gone incredibly well and if she were being honest with herself, she wanted to be pressed up against the side of her house being ravished by Jane, kissing her deeply and leaving a hickey on the incredible neck of hers. So, Maura was a little more than disappointed when Jane hadn't even kissed her lips. After a second, right before Jane had gone to open her car door, Maura shouted her name which caused the drenched detective to look up with confusion. Maura bounded lightly across her driveway before reaching Jane. Maura gently pushed Jane against her car and placed a passionate kiss against her lips. Maura felt Jane's knees go weak and could feel them go out as the detective slide down the car a bit. Maura brought a hand to Jane's thin hip to steady her before removing her lips from Jane's. Maura sucked lightly on Jane's lower lip and placed a gentle nibble on it before releasing it completely. She then gave Jane another brief tender kiss before taking a step back and saying,"for future reference, that, is how you kiss someone goodbye." And with that, Maura walked back to her porch and then entered her house without another word. Jane could only stand there smiling and stunned. Just like their first meeting, Maura left Jane with a challenge.

As Jane drove home in an utter state of bliss and euphoria, she could not think of a time where she had felt as purely happy as she did right now. Her date had gone well and Maura left her with that kiss that warmed Jane in places she never thought a kiss could warm. Her ethereal happiness was interrupted by the ring of her cell phone. She expected it to be her mother calling to complain about not hearing from Jane tonight. But, the screen did not read 'Ma'. It was an unknown number with a Boston area code. She was secretly hoping that it was someone calling in a murder, just so she could see Maura again. She tapped accept call and said her usual "Rizzoli."

"Hi, Detective Rizzoli" began the voice, "it's Charlotte from the grocery store earlier today. I hope I'm not interrupting, but you said to call if I needed anything?" she left a silence for Jane to answer.

"Oh, yes, absolutely. What can I do for you, Charlotte?" Jane asked.

"Oh, nothing big, I just wanted to know how your date went?" she asked with a soft chuckle.

Jane couldn't help but smile and the mention of the date returned her to her her state of happiness where she no longer cared who she was talking to or what she was saying. So, for the first time, Jane gushed about her feelings and how perfect her first date with Maura was to an old woman who she barely even knew.


	13. Extra Chocolate, Please

So sorry for the delay in updates! I really am the worst about them. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was not what I originally planned, but, fear not! What I do have planned will definitely be the next chapter! Keep on reading and reviewing please :) Each comment is truly appreciated!

Extra Chocolate, Please

The day after Jane and Maura's first date was excellent for many reasons. For Jane, it all started at 6:00am that Friday when her alarm started buzzing and blaring from her nightstand. She rolled over and picked up her phone to stop the alarm. She smiled as she started to remember the previous night. The way Maura felt warm when was snuggling close to her, the subtle slow burn that only rose while they danced under the moonlight, the warm feel of Maura's lips against her own, the soft touch of the medical examiner's careful and precise hands sliding simmering raindrops across a chiseled jawbone. The thoughts warmed Jane, and for the first time in a while, she woke up truly happy to live another day.

As she prepared for her run, Jane noticed that it was now 6:30am, precisely when Maura woke up on Friday mornings in the summer months. Maura liked to begin her Friday mornings (when it was warm enough) with a few laps in her pool. Jane knew all of this and chuckled as she typed, "Good morning, beautiful. Thinking of you put a smile on my face. Hope you enjoy your swim. See you in a few hours :)" Jane then tossed her phone over onto her bed. The thud caused Jo Friday to raise her head in question. "Come on, Jo. It's running time for you too." The little dog leaped form the bed and scurried across the apartment, prancing to the front door with a little bark. Then Jane and her second favorite female companion were off.

Maura's morning began nearly the same. The alarm blared and she reached over to turn it off with a smile before rising to do some early stretches. Only a few seconds later she noticed her phone had buzzed. She assumed it was going to be directions to the next found body and instantly became annoyed that she was going to miss her morning swim. And, she was going to have to skip her morning errand that would result in a nice gift for Jane and she did not want to do that. So, with a huff, Maura looked at her phone and her entire attitude changed in a second when she saw that it was simply a sweet good morning text from Jane. Noting that it was 6:30, she knew Jane and Jo were off for a morning run and would be back in a half hour. Jane never took her phone, but who wouldn't want to have a nice text to come back to. So, Maura quickly typed "Good morning to you too, Jane. I'm honored to be the source of a Jane Rizzoli smile. I hope that I can make you smile much more. You're even more gorgeous when you smile. Hope you enjoyed your run! 9am can't come soon enough!" With that, Maura dropped her phone to the bed, shed her clothes, and slipped on her bathing suit.

Jane arrived at the station fifteen minutes before nine so that she could catch Frost before he headed off to court. After wishing her partner good luck, she headed up to her desk to deal with the pile of paperwork she had been putting off. The slip and slide of the manila folders against each other became extremely mundane for Jane after only a few minutes. It had been a while since they had a case, which Jane was obviously happy about- meant there were less crazy people killing other people. But, at the same time, she missed the challenge of a case, piecing the clues together, hunting down suspects and tracking them like prey. Jane Rizzoli was a lion, and the idiot murderers of Boston were gazelle. Eventually, she would trap and destroy them. After all, she did already have the unruly mane. At the thought of herself as a lion, Jane wanted to growl or roar, but decided that there is a time and place for those noises and they certainly were not here. She wasn't sure if those noises were acceptable anywhere.

Speaking of noises, the unmistakable click-clank of heels on tile started growing louder and louder and before Jane knew it, Dr. Maura Isles had slipped through the doors and was now en route to Detective Rizzoli's desk. Dr. Isles walked diligently, always speedy and always with a purpose. Just like Detective Rizzoli walked with swagger, displaying a cool confidence with every sure step she took. But, Jane reasoned, this was not Dr. Isles approaching her with a case file, this was Maura, approaching her with her arms concealed behind her back, her curved hips swaying along with the rest of her slow moving body. Jane was already looking up from her files, and after making eye contact with Maura, she just sat in awe of the beautiful woman approaching her desk. Jane was staring, she would not admit it, she would say she was zoning out, but the lovestruck look on her face suggested otherwise.

"Good morning, again, Jane." Maura began with a smile and then pulled the hidden gifts out from behind her back. "For you," she said as she placed a donut and a coffee on Jane's desk "it's my work appropriate way of saying thank you for last night."

"Work appropriate, huh? I appreciate the gift but now I am curious, if we weren't at work, how would you be saying thank you?" Jane retorted. She was being flirty and coy and she knew it, but she did not care.

Maura smirked and raised an eyebrow at the question. She then leaned down and over Jane's desk, her face hovering just inches from Jane's. She remained perfectly still as she watched Jane's eyes hover from her newly exposed cleavage to her rear that stuck out in this angle as well. Jane's eyes flipped between her two choices a few times before landing on Maura's eyes. Their eyes locked- tantalizing green looking into deep brown. Maura bit her bottom lip before smiling and saying "Oh, I think you know, detective." Maura was all knowing so Jane decided to play dumb and just sit and stare at Maura in silence until Maura leaned forward and whispered, "with my tongue." And with that, Maura rose from over Jane's desk and began her slow sway down the hall and back to the elevators. The mere thought of Maura's warm tongue running down Jane's long neck and rolling over the muscles and veins there caused Jane to squirm in her seat. She decided to return to the stack of files, she would get Maura back for that one during lunch break.

At 11:45, Jane left her desk and headed to the French restaurant a few blocks down the road. She sent Maura a quick text about staying downstairs in her office and that she would be there in 15 minutes with lunch. When Jane entered the familiar restaurant, she was greeted by the owner who was working the was one of Maura's favorite places to pick up a crepe and the two had been here countless times before. So, it was not out of the ordinary for the owner to ask if she was here to get the usual. Jane replied with a grateful yes and then added, "Can ya make Maura's with extra chocolate sauce please?" the owner nodded and got to work on their crepes.

Jane sauntered into the medical examiner's office at exactly noon with the box of crepes in hand. Finding Maura extremely focused on her paperwork with her headphones plugged in, Jane found it the opportune time to sneak behind Maura. Jane leaned in close, close enough to smell Maura's shampoo mixed with her perfume. Jane then extended an arm around Maura and placed the box in front of her. Maura looked up and removed her headphones, she was slightly shocked at the box that had suddenly appeared. Maura turned to her left- her eyes barely had time to register a smiling Jane slightly above her who took advantage of the situation and placed a long tender kiss onto Maura's lips.

"Hello" Jane whispered after releasing Maura's slightly swollen lips and hovering inches from the place she had just left. Maura placed a quick kiss on Jane's lips then said "good afternoon."

"I brought lunch" Jane stated rather obviously.

"I can see that, thank you. What did you pick up" Maura asked

"Open it and find out." Jane smirked.

Maura opened the box to find her favorite mixed fruit crepe sitting in front of her. She picked it up with a delicate touch and brought the food to her mouth. Chocolate sauce was already dripping out of the other end of the crepe and Jane smiled knowingly- her plan was working. Maura took her first bite and then quickly dropped the crepe back into the box as she felt the warm chocolate sauce oozing slowly out of her mouth, across her lips, and just slightly onto her chin. Jane's plan was perfect and it was time for action. Jane quickly captured Maura's lips into another tender kiss. After a second, Jane's tongue slowly moved out and across Maura's lips. The move and feel of Jane's warm tongue mixed with the taste of chocolate made Maura moan into Jane's mouth which resulted in both women opening their mouths slightly and deepening the kiss. The tips of their tongues danced lightly together until Jane's pulled away, focused more on licking up the last of the chocolate from Maura's bottom lip. Just to be sure, and to place the cherry on top, Jane sucked Maura's bottom lip between her own and then bit down gently before releasing Maura's lip with a pop.

"Turns out my tongue wanted to say thank you for last night and for the donut and coffee this morning." Jane joked as she backed away from Maura and sat on the opposite side of the desk where her own crepe was waiting. Maura sat partially stunned in her chair. She rotated every so slowly until she was facing Jane- staring at her with deepened green eyes and swollen pink lips. The sight of a slightly disheveled Maura was enough to make Jane feel victorious and back on top. Jane then noticed that Maura was squirming slightly in her chair, her chest freckled and pink was rising and falling quickly, Maura's pupils were large and black against green and her mouth was just barely open. They both were incredibly aware of the fact that Maura Isles was aroused. Jane's confidence boosted, knowing that Maura was so incredibly attracted to her that it would cause that type of reaction. What Jane did not know, was that Maura's brain was not in a stupor. Instead, it was firing all neurons as Maura pictured and imagined what it would feel like to have Jane take her against that very desk- how it would feel to lick chocolate off of a vulnerable and writhing Jane Rizzoli. 'Another time, but definitely the same place' Maura thought before shaking the fantasy out of her head and focusing on enjoying lunch with Jane.

The conversation continued as it normally would. Maura asked if Frost was feeling confident about court today, how Jane's run was, if she had spotted anything unusual in the old case files that had piled up on her desk. Jane did the same. She asked about the swim, Bass, whether she liked not having dead bodies in the morgue. As Jane was leaving to head back up stairs, she turned back to face Maura. Jane's hands were nervously twisting and rolling in each other. she cleared her throat to get Maura's attention. Once eye contact was established, Jane began, "Hey, uhh... Maura, I was just wondering. And you don't have to, I mean if you don't want to, you don't have to, but I was thinking maybe..." she could not believe how nervous Maura made her sometimes. She felt like an idiot.

Maura thought it was adorable- the way that a confident Jane fumbled over her own words. "thinking maybe what, Jane?" Maura asked calmly. Jane cleared her throat again.

"Uhh... I was thinking maybe you would like to come to the Rizzoli family labor day picnic and BBQ. It's at my ma's house, and she's cooking, and we're all just going to hang out, drink some beers. It's not a big deal or anything. I was just thinking maybe you would like to come. I know you went last year, and the year before that, and the year before that too," Jane nervously laughed "but those times you came as Dr. Maura Isles, my friend from work. I was thinking maybe this time you could come as, I-I don't know, Maura, my girlfriend."

Maura was thankful that the nervous babbling ended because it meant she could answer, "Yes, Jane. I would love to come to the BBQ again this year. And I'll love it even more this year when you say to your family 'Uncle Tony, Aunt Maria, you remember, Maura, my girlfriend.'"

Jane smiled, "So... just to be clear, that's a yes on the whole girlfriend thing?"

"Yes" Maura laughed, "Si, Oui, Ja, Da, Aye, Yes" and she punctuated each form of yes with a kiss to Jane's smiling lips.

Hope you liked the fluffiness of this chapter! Here, have a little outline of what is coming up in the next chapter. Maura shows up way early for the Rizzoli family bbq & upon arrival finds Jane, in a tight white tank and ripped jean shorts, underneath an old motorcycle all sweaty and a little greasy. Jane rolls out from underneath to find Maura staring at her exposed legs. And, before she can even account for it, Jane's pinned against the garage work bench with Maura's hands gripping her exposed hips and Maura's tongue's making weird patterns down Jane's neck in order to avoid the grease stains.


	14. Fueling the Engine

SKIP IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT MY RAMBLINGS: I interrupt your fluffiness to bring you this very important message. Thank you all so much for the reviews and comments about the previous chapter. Seeing the support & interest in what is to come was inspiration enough for me to bang it out today. So thank you, keep it up and I'll most likely update more often. Side note, these chapters are starting to get a little more "dirty" if you will and I have absolutely no idea what I am doing in this department. This is my first fanfic ever and it's probably risk for me to just dive into this kind of stuff without the personal or professional experience. But, whatever, enough about my lonely life. Back to what we're all here for: the image of Jane Rizzoli barely wearing clothes getting all sweaty and greasy under a motorcycle. Also, quick shout out to my neighborhood friends whose conversation is basically the freckle and mole observation.

Fueling the Engine

Maura decided on the creamy gold sundress to offset the dark blue bikini underneath. The dress fell a few inches above her knees and showed enough yoga toned legs to capture Jane's attention. The heat between the two of them had grown tremendously after their first date, especially after the chocolatey make out session in Maura office. Maura did not care about moving too fast with Jane because it did not feel like they were using each other or taking advantage of the other, it just felt right. After applying a light amount of makeup to her face and sunscreen to her already lightly tanned and freckled skin, Maura decided that she was ready to go. She picked up the bottle of wine she had bought for the occasion and the tray of Jane's favorite cucumber sandwiches and headed out the door. She did not care that she was going to get there at noon, four hours before the party even started. She wouldn't even have to lie about the reasons for showing up early, she wanted to help set up and she was intent on seeing Jane in a baiting suit for as long as possible.

After exiting her car, Maura headed towards the front porch of the house. She heard clamoring in the garage followed by a low grunt which she reasoned was most likely one of the Rizzoli's trying to get something ready for the party. She knocked softly on the door and was greeted by a very stunned Angela Rizzoli.

"Maura! It's good to see you," she began and then hugged her "You're about four hours early though." Angela laughed as she moved out of the way to let Maura into the house.

"I'm sorry... I hope you don't mind. I wanted to help out in anyway I could. Thank you again for allowing me to attend this family gathering." Maura smiled.

"Oh, no thanks necessary, dear. After all, you're practically family. Even more so now that you and my Janie are in a relationship."

In that moment, Maura was very thankful that she had already placed the wine and food on the counter because she would have otherwise dropped it to the floor. Her face grew red and she suddenly became very nervous and speechless.

"I-I didn't know Jane had told you all" Maura tried.

"She couldn't keep that a secret if her life depended on it!" Angela laughed "She showed up here the day after your first date all smiling and happy... Where do you think Jane gets her detective skills from? It didn't take long for me to piece together that it had something to do with you. Every time I see that girl smiling she is talking about you."

Maura blushed at the thought of Jane gushing to her mother about Maura. She knew Jane was a softie underneath all that muscle and cop persona. Maura smiled, "So, you're okay...with all of this?"

"Okay with it? I'm thrilled! I've never seen Jane this happy before. She hasn't even given me any grief for the past few weeks. She even kissed my cheek the other day and told me she loved me! She hasn't done that since she was 3!" The two women laughed together before Maura asked where the subject of their conversation was anyway. Angela answered, "I don't know she's been here every day after work working on something in that damned garage. Always making a whole bunch of noise and grunting around like a man. Won't let anyone in there either. She locks herself in that steaming garage with all the doors closed. Go through this door here in the kitchen, she won't stop doing what she's doing she'll just start yelling at ya. You can try to get her, maybe you'll be the exception." Angela teased before busying herself with preparations for the party.

Maura turned the knob slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Lucky for her, Jane was grunting and growling and yelling about something not fitting right so the sound Maura walking around the garage looking for the source of all the noise was muffled. After a minute of weaving around Angela's car, some old bikes, and cardboard boxes labeled 'Christmas', Maura found Jane at the far corner of the garage. Tool boxes surrounded her, each with drawers open and tools all mixed around. At the center of this circled in workspace was an old motorcycle that looked like it could be from when Jane was in high school. It did not look it's age though, it looked as if had been recently restored. The motorcycle was raised up on some cylinder blocks, and lying on a longboard rolling underneath the cycle and making an insane amount of noise was Jane Rizzoli

From Maura's point of view, it did not look like Jane was wearing any pants. Maura's eyes scanned up the impossibly long and lean legs that were draped over the sides of the longboard meaning Jane's legs were spread, open and inviting. As Maura crouched to the floor, she could see that Jane was wearing old ripped jean shorts with a tight white tank that rose up slightly exposing Jane's lower waist. Maura could also see the strength in Jane's arms as she twisted and banged on metal above her, determination and focus looked beautiful on Jane's slightly sweaty and greasy face that was too focused on the task at hand to notice Maura at her feet. Maura waited for Jane to finish twisting about and drop her hands back to her side before she grabbed the end of the longboard and pulled hard which propelled the rest of Jane's body to slide underneath the cycle. At first, Jane looked angry to be disturbed, but when she saw Maura standing above her, looking down and smiling, she could only rise to her feet and do the same.

"Hey! You're early" Jane started and then went in to kiss Maura. Her efforts were halted by a determined hand.

"Ah! Not so fast, Jane Rizzoli" Maura began as she lowered her brow "You're dirty, sweaty, and greasy. And... I didn't know you told your mother about us."

Jane took a step back, shrugged her shoulders and let her arms dangle in defeat to her sides. "I'm sorry, Maura. Ma's known for a while and doesn't take a genius to see how much happier I've been since well, you." Jane tried and weakly twisted her hands at the confession.

Maura lowered her head, brought her hands to her own hips, and began shaking it back and forth slowly. She let out a small scoff.

"What?" Jane asked, confused at what was occurring.

"I'm glad you're mother knows, Jane."

"Why's that?" Jane tried.

Maura took a step closer to Jane, who took a step back and was now dangerously close to the garage work bench. Maura bit her bottom lip before looking up at Jane with a teasing smile. "Well... for starters, because it means no one is going to ask questions when I do this." Maura finished. Jane went to ask what but was stopped just as her mouth slightly opened. Instead of words coming out, Maura's tongue was teasing in. Before Jane could even account for it, Maura had Jane's back against the work bench. Jane could feel her knees giving out as the power and control was taken from her. Normally, Jane was the strong, dominating, passionate kisser. But this time, she was surprised she hadn't been reduced to mush. Maura's hands gripped tightly onto Jane's lean hips, her thumbs creating small circles against Jane's hips while the rest of her fingers latched onto a muscled back. Maura pulled back from the kiss not only to see the look on Jane's face, but to take a step closer, to place one of her legs between Jane's. Maura rested her knee against the work bench which lifted her muscled thigh dangerously close to the meeting point of Jane's legs. The skin-to-skin contact made both women moan, Jane closed her eyes and dropped her head slightly back only to have it pulled back into another warm, wet, heated, and passionate kiss. Maura let their tongues dance slowly together and she hugged close to Jane's waist. Jane, in turn, dropped her hand to Maura's waist where she was holding on for dear life. Trying to take back control, Jane maneuvered her hands lower until they were settled under Maura's rear. Jane grabbed and tried to lift and spin so that their positions would switch without having to break the kiss. At the feel of Jane's strong hands gripping her rear, Maura gasped and broke the kiss because of it. They stood starting at each other for a second, their short and quick breaths mixing with each other as they stared into darkened eyes, flushed cheeks, and swollen lips.

"Sorry for grabbing your ass," Jane deadpanned "I was trying to switch us around."

"I know what you were trying to do, Jane. But it won't work with me. I'm bossy too, remember? just in the cute and polite way."

"Nothing...about... that" Jane began waving her hands around referencing the earlier situation "was polite." she finished with a scoff.

"Agreed." Maura laughed before taking full advantage of their proximity and position, "And neither is this." She did a painfully slow body roll that started at her shoulders and travelled all the way down to her knees. The move pushed their chests together, hips greeted hips, and Maura's thigh rose slightly, the skin tickling against the fray of the old jeans. Jane moaned and leaned forward, trying to capture Maura in another kiss. But, she was too late, Maura had already moved and was quickly swaying back into the house to help Angela with the preparations leaving Jane in a dazed state.

About an hour later, after Jane had banged out some of her frustrations on the motorcycle, she entered the kitchen dripping in sweat, hair up in a loose pony tail. Maura's mouth opened slightly at the sight and froze like that. Maura watched closely as a bead of sweat raced down Jane's face and then took it's sweet time going around her jaw before going even slower down Jane's tightened neck. It took a turn at her collar bone and then raced down to join other sweat beads in between Jane's breasts. Jane glanced over while shooting water into her mouth and saw Maura in a frozen state while she watched a sweaty Jane move about the kitchen. Deciding that she was going to start torturing Maura now the way Maura had just did in the garage, Jane dropped the water bottle to the counter and stood facing Maura- making sure to get eye contact. Jane dropped her arms to the side and then crossed them over her waist. She gripped at the bottom of the tank on both sides and then started to pull the tank up at an incredibly slow pace- just to torture Maura who stood not breathing, only watching as the tank rose and rolled above each muscled curve in Jane's abs. After rising over the small curve of Jane's breasts, which were being contained by a simple white sports bra, Jane pulled the tank over her head and tossed it into the nearby laundry room.

"I'm going to go shower... You gonna be okay here?" Jane asked as she stood on the opposite side of the kitchen, leaning against the counter. Maura's mouth was still open, her brain still trying to process the strip tease she just witnessed. She could only nod weakly which Jane knew meant she had been successful in her torture leaving Maura with thoughts of Jane, naked, and dripping wet in the shower.

A half hour later, Jane returned down to the kitchen, her wet hair up in a loose bun, her hand reached up and behind her back, holding the black strings in place. As she entered the kitchen she said, "Maura, ya mind tying this for me?" Maura looked up to see Jane standing before her in barely anything more than a black bikini. She had left her light denim jeans on but the slip of the bathing suit made them drop slightly below her waist. Jane turned around and released her grip on the strings. Maura's cool and careful fingers took their time tying a tight knot around Jane's neck. But everything else in Maura was racing. Her nose was taking in the scent of a freshly showered Jane who smelled like lavender and vanilla, her eyes the sight of a strong, tanned back just inches from her. After completing the knot, Jane spun around quickly and reached her arms around Maura's waist, pulling her in closely before placing a quick kiss on her lips and then pulling back and away to help in kitchen.

The two worked side by incredibly close side for the next hour preparing for the party. While working, they shared stolen glances, and gazed longingly while the other was too occupied to notice. The close and careful examination yielded some interesting results. Jane noted that Maura had an insane amount of freckles across the expanse of her chest. Jane was filled with the overwhelming desire to kiss and suck each one until you could no longer distinguish freckle from hickey. And Maura, in turn, noted a trail of moles down Jane's left hip. A line that moved closer and closer to Jane's center. And when the added weight of a cell phone into loose jeans dropped Jane's pant line lower, Maura noted the top of mole directly in the center of Jane's body, just barely below the bikini line. Maura thought the line looked like an invitation to Jane's center. An invitation her tongue was most definitely going to take at a later date.

By 4:30, all of the party guests had arrived and were now all scattered across the property. The men and younger male cousins were playing a game of football, the girls and ladies were gathered around the table having a tea party. Frankie was entertaining a group of kids in the pool with a game of sharks and minos. And other adults were scattered among the backyard chatting happily with each other. Jane held tightly to Maura's hand as they walked around to each and every single member of the family to say their hellos. Maura couldn't help but smile when they reached Uncle Tony and Aunt Maria, who, after hearing Maura introduced as Jane's girlfriend wished her luck in taming the wild Jane Rizzoli.

By 9:00, all of the extended family had left and Frankie and Angela were finishing cleaning up the backyard. Maura offered to help, but she was told that she was not allowed to, and instead, Angela handed Maura a flashlight and told her to go meet Jane out by the back shed. Maura did as she was told. As she reached the shed, she heard the unmistakeable 'dammit' angrily leave Jane's mouth. Maura walked behind the shed to find Jane poking around in the fire pit.

"You okay, Jane?" Maura asked.

"Yeah, just got a little too close to the flame that's all. Here, sit" Jane insisted and then pointed to the bench facing the warm fire. Maura followed her instructions and sat down on the bench. Jane followed immediately behind and sat down next to Maura. Jane wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders and placed a kiss to her cheek before settling back to the fire. Maura smiled and then dropped her head to Jane's shoulder and snuggled close.

Jane ran her fingers through Maura's hair before placing a kiss there. "Maura, thanks for coming today."

"Thank you for inviting me" Maura smiled back.

"Wouldn't want to be here with anyone else" Jane added and then took Maura's lips in her own. They pulled back and just sat in comfortable silence for a while- listening to the sounds of crackling wood and chirping crickets.

"Jane?" Maura said while raising her head to look up at Jane's.

"Hmm?"

"We were so so busy earlier helping with everything and saying hellos and such that we never really did get to go in the pool." Maura stated and Jane laughed.

"Maura, would you like to go for a swim?"

"Well- seeing as your mom is closing the pool tomorrow and we're already in our bathing suits, it would silly for not to-" she was cut off by a kiss.

"Say no more. Your wish, is my command!" Jane shouted as she stood from the bench.

"You're so cheesy, Jane. Couldn't you at least try to be a little more original?" Maura teased.

"Oh, that's it! Come 'ere!" Jane pulled Maura up from the bench and then quickly bent down and lifted Maura by the waist and flung her over her shoulders. Jane couldn't focus on Maura's breasts against her back, or how Maura's rear was bouncing in her peripheral vision, couldn't take note of Maura's strong legs kicking trying to get out of Jane's impossibly strong hold. She was on a mission with one simple task: throw Maura in the pool.

Jane laughed the entire way to the pool as Maura screamed begging to be put down.

"Jane Rizzoli, don't you dare throw me in this pool!" Maura screamed as Jane reached the edge.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Or I'll..I'll! I don't know yet! Just put me down! JANE!"

Jane could only laugh, and with a quick tap to Maura's rear and an even quicker kiss to the top of her legs, Jane released Maura and brought her down to the ground.

"Thank you" Maura breathed. Jane smiled a patent Rizzoli smirk and with a gentle push watched as Maura fell backwards into the pool. When she came back up for air, Jane was almost doubled over laughing.

"Fine, Jane. You win." Maura laughed as she spit water from her mouth.

"Oh, yeah? And what's my prize?" Jane countered.

Maura reached a hand behind her back, "Jump in and find out."


	15. Wet Walls

Thank you all so much for the reviews and comments about the previous chapter. Keep it up and I'll keep banging out fics about well- J & M banging it out.

"Fine, Jane. You win." Maura laughed as she spit water from her mouth.

"Oh, yeah? And what's my prize?" Jane countered.

Maura reached a hand behind her back, "Jump in and find out."

Wet Walls

Jane emerged from her first plunge and combed her fingers through her now wet hair. Her eyes were still closed, so she did not notice that Maura had moved closer. Maura planted her feet on the floor of the pool and just as Jane opened her mouth to take a breath- Maura stole the air there and replaced it with her own mouth. Jane let out a soft moan into Maura's mouth, who in turn, placed her hands low against Jane's sides- her fingers delicately landing on the outer edges of Jane's bathing suit bottoms. This kiss went on as Jane was under Maura's control. Their tongues slowly moving about in each others mouths. And then Jane slowly pulled out of Maura's mouth, the two women looked at each other for a second before Jane asked, "So, what's my prize?"

Maura smirked and then took a step away from Jane. The movement now had here inches from the wet wall of the pool. She raised her arms up in surrender, offering herself to Jane. Jane looked at her before raising an eyebrow and asking "You sure you want this?"

Maura nodded and leaned forward to whisper seductively "I surrender, Jane. Have your way with me."

Not two seconds later, Maura found her back pressed against the wall of the pool, a tall lean detective looking down at her. Jane's arms were on either side of Maura, gripping to the wall of the pool as if her life depended on it. Jane took a small step forward once again letting hips greet hips. Maura lifted and wrapped a strong leg around Jane's waist successfully pulling Jane tighter into the embrace. Both women groaned at the feeling of the new closeness. Jane took a second to admire how Maura looked in her bikini, how her large chest was now heaving and pink, how her delicate features were softened in the light of the moon.

"You're gorgeous" Jane let out before placing a kiss to each of Maura's cheeks. After the second, she let her face linger there so that her mouth was near Maura's ear. Maura could feel Jane's short hot breaths against her ear and it made her own still before she took a deep breath and let out a cool exhale against Jane's face.

"Jane," she practically whined but said nothing else, just allowed her short breaths to be the sign. Maura could wait no longer, and if Jane were being honest neither could she. So, without further adieu, Jane bit gently down on Maura's ear and then started lightly sucking it and flicking it slowly with her tongue before taking it between her teeth and pulling lightly. Maura could feel herself sinking and was glad that she was pressed up against the wall of the pool and latched onto Jane.

Jane took her time on Maura's ear, enjoying the feel of Maura holding on tightly to her as she often let out a contented sigh or a slow, hot, breathy moan. After releasing it with a final pop, Jane lifted a hand to the other side of Maura's face where her thumb rested on Maura's cheek, rubbing and griping the area while the reminder of her fingers looped around to the the back of Maura's neck where the gripped and held on urgently. Jane then traced down the side of Maura's jaw lightly with her tongue, stopping every few seconds to kiss and suck lightly on the area. Jane used her hand on Maura's cheek to control the movement of Maura's neck. Jane relished in the feel of control, she was dominating and she liked it. Maura didn't mind being controlled either, there was something about letting Jane take over that just felt right. With her newly granted power, Jane dropped her tongue from Maura's jaw and started making weird patterns down the side of Maura's neck- once again stopping every few seconds to kiss and lightly suck on the area. When Jane reached Maura's pulse point, she lingered there with her tongue and enjoyed the feeling of its rapid beat. As she kissed and sucked the area, Jane let her tongue slide out and start moving in curves around Maura's pulse point. Maura swore it seemed like Jane was writing something, but the feel of it blurred her mind and all she could think about was staying just like this forever.

"Jane," Maura breathed out again which caused Jane to let out a soft laugh against Maura's neck. Then Jane pulled back, bringing her face to Maura's and placing a quick and tender kiss there.

"That's right, Maur. I was writing my name on your neck," she laughed "with my tongue."

"Why?"

"Have to mark what's belongs to me. You're mine, Maura. Only mine. And I want the whole world to know it. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to writing my name on your neck." Jane leaned back in and went right at it. She was more aggressive this time- pushing her tongue against Maura's neck.

"Jane," a soft breathy moan, "Jane- It's just going to dry that way. Why-why don't you try something a little more permanent?" Maura pleaded and Jane pulled back, smiling and capturing Maura's mouth in a warm sloppy kiss. Then she pulled back again and replied, "If you insist." Jane tightened her grip on the side of Maura's face, and took another step forward which effectively pushed their bodies extremely close together. Maura moaned and Jane returned to her neck to start sucking the skin there.

After a while, Jane moved on to Maura's collar bone where she placed gentle kisses. Maura took a deep breath which pushed her large chest against Jane's. The feeling made both women moan and Jane thought she was losing control so she thrust her hips forward slamming Maura against the wall of the pool. At the feel, Jane had to return to Maura's mouth where she was now possessing aggressively and allowing their tongues to tango. Maura rolled her hips back without thinking and again both women moaned deeply into each others mouths. Seeing it as another threat at her control, Jane thrust her hips forward again slamming Maura against the wall for a second time. Maura's leg could no longer stand by itself anymore, so she wrapped it around Jane's leg. Maura's one leg that was already wrapped around Jane's waist pulled forward bringing Jane closer to her body. Each of their hips now rocking forward gently, beyond their control. Maura's hands gripped at Jane's lower back and Jane in turn slid her hands form Maura's waist and down to her rear, gripping the round rear there. They continued kissing deeply and passionately as Jane's hands started traveling up Maura's sides before settling right below her chest. Jane's hands were big and strong enough to reach around and have her fingers grip at Maura's yoga toned back while her thumbs made slow circling massages to the skin just below Maura's breasts. The new feeling made Maura's hips roll against Jane and the moan let out by the two of them caused them to break the kiss and begin taking in short, quick breaths.

"Jane, please," Maura begged "Don't hold back. You won't hurt me." Jane looked up with raised brow so as to say are you sure. Maura recognized this and nodded before finishing "I want what you want."

Jane smirked before laughing, "Good. Because I've wanted to hold and squeeze your boobs since the day I met you."

"Jane..."

"Ey-no no. No more talking." And then Jane thrust her hips into Maura again and began her slow, gripping, teasing, rolling and squeezing attack on Maura's chest. It didn't take long for Maura to recognize the very familiar warm wetness that often presented itself when Jane's hands were on her. But this was like never before, and Maura knew that if Jane wanted to, she could take her right there with three fingers easily. The thought of Jane's long fingers only made Maura more wet so she pulled from the kiss.

"We-we should stop." Maura gasped as she looked into Jane's extremely darkened eyes. At first Jane looked confused, but then she noticed Maura's darkened eyes, her heaving chest that was raised higher by the grip that Jane still had on it. Jane finally released her grip and took a step back from Maura.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I just I lost it a little bit. Was it too far too fast?" Jane lowered her voice, nervous for the impending answer.

"No, Jane. Don't be silly. I told you I wanted this. It's just- we're at your mom's house in the pool in the backyard." Maura reasoned.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You're not just some hook up in the backyard like we're in high school or something. You're my girlfriend, Maura, so I'm going to do this right." Jane finished and then took another step back and extended her hand towards Maura. "Com' on, let's go dry off by the fire." Maura took the offered hand and intertwined their fingers before lifting the clasped hands and placing a kiss on the back of Jane's hand and then reaching up and placing one on Jane's cheek. The two walked hand in hand over to the fire and sat down on the bench, once again snuggling close together.

"You're such a softy, Jane. But, I like it because it shows that underneath that strong cop persona, you're every bit as human as I am." Maura laughed nervously.

"You think I've got a strong cop persona?" Jane joked.

"Of course! After all, you are my super hero. And underneath the thick green skin, isn't the hulk just a regular man?" Maura asked.

"Well, yes" Jane laughed at Maura's reference then questioned, "So, since I'm a girl, and I'm your super hero, does that make me the she-hulk?"

"Sure, Jane, whatever you want." Maura finished and ended the conversation by placing a kiss onto Jane's lips. Jane smashed her hand into Maura's thigh, who at the contact of the punch broke the kiss with a slightly hurt look. "Ow! Why'd you do that, Jane?" Maura began rubbing the area.

Jane laughed and then sunk her head, raised her shoulders, furrowed her brow and began pounding the air like drums and then grunted "SHE-HULK SMASH!"

Maura scoffed and then began shaking her head back and forth, "You're ridiculous, Jane." Maura laughed.

"Yeah, and" Jane leaned forward and whispered into Maura's ear "You're mine" she growled into Maura's ear and then pulled away just enough to capture Maura's lips in another slow and warm kiss in the warmth and light of the fire which crackled in front of them. The kiss went on and on until the sound of their phones buzzing interrupted them. They both looked at the caller IDs and groaned before answering.

"Rizzoli."

"Isles."

The "Yes, I'll be right there." was simultaneous.


	16. Exchange

READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES YOU: First of all, I would like to send my deepest apologies for the incredibly long delay between the last chapter and this one. I hope that you all got a chance to read some of the other things that I wrote during the little hiatus here in fluffly superhero land. I would also like to thank those of you who reached out to me here and on tumblr about when the update was going to happen. I would also like to thank CharlietheCAG for being an awesome person who helps me with these stories :) Your interest in the story really warms my heart and I feel absolutely terrible for making you wait this long. Speaking of waiting...

Exchange

Detective Jane Rizzoli was twisting and wrapping wet curls around her fingers as she watched Dr. Maura Isles examine the body.

"Looks like a through and through to me," Jane said as she looked over to Frankie who was slapping cuffs on the back of the murderer. Frankie had approached the scene on a different street than the rest of them, he saw a drunk bum sitting on the corner and threw him in the back- just in case. Turns out, the drunken bum had a gun in his pocket and shot the victim, another homeless man, in the chest because he was trying to steal from him. It was a pretty lame murder, Jane thought, and the fact that being called in pulled her and Maura away from cuddling by the fire pissed her off even more. So she stood, above the body, waiting for Maura to finish up so that they could return to spending the evening together. Maura's need for perfection never bothered Jane before, in fact she admired it, but Dr. Isles' scrutiny over the dead body was now delaying Jane from getting what she needed which just so happened to be Maura's body...sprawled out on her expensive sheets, naked, her hips pushing up against Jane's, moaning her name as Jane ravished and sucked in Maura's body slowly, carefully, and with her tongue. Jane shook her head to clear the fantasy before looking back down at the subject of it. "So, what are you thinking, Maura?"

"Sexual frustration." Maura blurted out.

"What?" Jane nearly screamed. Maura looked up at her.

"The hair twirling, Jane. It's a sign of sexual frustration. You asked what I was thinking- that's it." Maura said flatly, making sure she had eye contact with Jane. Jane bent to her knees, leaning over the dead body slightly before whispering to Maura "Normally, I'd have something a little more witty to say. But, Dr. Isles, as you have already observed, I am quite frustrated. I'm a little annoyed that just a half hour ago we were making out like teenagers in the pool. And now" she paused "We're here. At an pretty basic murder that you and I could solve in our sleep, but we don't need to because Frankie's already got the guy who confessed. So, the only thing keeping me from having you all wet and in my hands is this guy" she pointed down "and if you don't mind putting off the autopsy until tomorrow, I'd really like to take you home..." Jane leaned in close, her breath hot against Maura's still slightly damp ear and hair "and go back to having my way with you." Jane growled before pulling back and standing up.

"Oh, Jane" Maura started and even in the dark Jane could see Maura's chest reddening, rising and falling quickly. "Well then in that case..." Maura winked before looking over to a tech, "take him over to the morgue. I'm going to do the autopsy now-" Maura was interrupted by the sound of Jane Rizzoli stomping her feet, her face twisting in anger clearly annoyed that Maura was opting to do the autopsy now instead of in the morning.

"Detective Rizzoli," Maura said sternly "Would you be so kind and escort me over to the precinct please?" Maura batted her eyelashes, trying anything to get Jane out of her grumpy, sexually frustrated induced mood.

"You two flirting over a dead body?" Frost asked after returning from getting a witness' statement.

"When else are we going to do it?" Maura asked.

"Oh, gee! I don't know! Dinner, movie, fireplace, hey, maybe even back at my apartment! Where we can go now if you would just do the autopsy in the morning." Jane gritted through her teeth.

"Patience, detective. Don't act like you have nothing to do to occupy your time. You've got a murderer to interrogate." Maura reasoned.

"Fine. Let's go." Jane said as she grabbed Maura by the elbow and escorted her off to the car. The two drove back in relative silence, the only thing connecting them was their hands, locked and intertwined and settling on Maura's lap. At every red light, Jane would lean over and capture Maura's lips and in quick and passionate kiss and then pull away quickly leaving Maura stunned and breathless.

After a few too many hours, Jane headed down to the morgue, more annoyed than ever after having interrogated the murderer, gotten his confession, processed him, and locked him up. She pushed open the doors to find Maura not hovering over a dead body, but instead curled over a microscope, her hand moving quickly across pages as she finished her reports. The headphones in Maura's ears prevented her from hearing Jane arrive, so she wrote on, unaware of the approaching Detective.

Jane crouched and snuck quietly and carefully over to Maura. Now standing directly behind her, Jane held her breath and moved in to take advantage of Maura's hair being pulled up, exposing her neck. At the contact, Jane could feel Maura momentarily tense up before dropping her shoulders and relaxing into the slow, steady strokes of Jane's tongue on her neck. Jane gripped her fingers against Maura's waist, stroking and grabbing at the medical examiners black scrubs until they were scrunched up enough to expose the skin of Maura's hips. The detective raked her fingers across the medical examiner's sides before settling at the waist and turning her around on the spot. Now facing each other, Jane took a step forward, pressing Maura up against the lab table.

"Jane, I'm working." Maura tried but was effectively silenced by Jane's mouth capturing her own. Jane pulled and bit at Maura's bottom lip before releasing it.

"Exactly. That's the problem. Stop. Finish up here and come home with me. I've got a surprise for you." Jane smirked.

Maura lowered her brow, twisted her head slightly before reaching up, and whispering into Jane's ear "Hate to break it to you, but us having sex tonight is no surprise. It's an inevitability. So you better have something else up that sleeve. Now if you want this," Maura punctuated by grabbing Jane's earlobe between her teeth and releasing it with a pop "Then you'll be good and go wait for me way over there" she said pointing to the far wall "where we can't touch each other so that I can finish my work without you and that tongue of yours distracting me." Jane stood in silence, more in awe of how demanding Maura could be. "You heard me" Maura started as she grabbed Jane by the shoulders and turned her around "Get over there" she finished and added a smack to Jane's rear not for effect but because she had so desperately wanted to grab it moments before and did not get the chance. Jane jumped at the smack and the thought of punishing Maura for it crossed her mind but she decided against it. It would be too easy to turn around, pin Maura against her lab table again, tear off those black scrubs and take her right then and there. Hard and fast that Maura would scream out her name for no one to hear but Jane and the dead bodies. Instead, Jane walked forward until she got to the wall, turned around and placed her back against it. She threw her head back into the wall and groaned as she slid down the ground- her long limbs spreading out around her like puddle.

x

After an hour, Maura had finished her report, closed the file and turned around to find Jane curled up in a ball on the floor sleeping peacefully using her arm and now removed blazer as a pillow. Maura slowly walked over to her detective dropping to a crouched position as if she were examining a body. Maura brought her hand lightly to Jane's shoulder, careful not to wake her up too quickly knowing how that tended to trigger Jane's defenses and fear that Hoyt was taking her. Again. The medical examiner gripped lightly around Jane's muscled shoulder, slowly rubbing circles in her exposed collarbone.

"Jane, sweetie, it's Maura. Wake up. You feel asleep on the morgue floor." Maura cooed as Jane began to stir. Her deep chocolate eyes opened to see Maura, glowing from the fluorescent lights above her, and smiling at her detective.

"Morning." Jane said, her voice deep and scratchy with sleep.

"More like late eve-" Maura was cut off mid sentence when Jane suddenly lifted herself up slightly, bringing their lips together for a soft kiss. Jane pulled away, leaning her forehead against Maura's.

"Fine. Evening then." Jane said and then jumped to her feet just so she could lean back down to help Maura stand back up. "Are you done with your report?" Jane asked.

"Why else would I have woken you up?" Maura returned with a smirk paired with squinting eyes.

"Don't get sassy with me, Dr. Isles. You're already in trouble for that little butt slap you pulled earlier. Don't think I won't arrest you for assault on a police officer." Jane said sternly, placing her hands on her hips and puffing her chest out to make herself seem bigger in the empty expanse of the morgue which was filled only by artificial light and the delicate laugh of it's chief medical examiner.

"Jane, that was hardly assault. In fact, an argument could be made that that was me showing restraint." Maura countered.

"Restraint, huh?" Jane took a confident step forward "so, you want more than just a quick slap to my ass?"

Maura stepped forward too, thankful that her heels put her mouth level with Jane's ear, she gently placed her hands on each of her detective's hips before slowly pushing their bodies together and then growling into Jane's ear "Oh, Jane. I've got plans to assault more than just your perfect ass with my hands" she began lowering them to cup Jane's rear causing Jane to jump forward and press further into Maura. "I'd very much like to take my time _assaulting_ your breasts, your neck, that incredible collarbone of yours." Maura paused to suck slowly on Jane's earlobe eliciting a moan "Maybe even use my tongue to further my assault. Strengthening my attack as your defenses weaken" she paused again to lick and suck on Jane's earlobe, release it with a pop, and then use her tongue to suck gently at Jane's reddening neck. Maura kissed Jane quickly, possessing her rapidly, then stepped back and released her hold on Jane.

"Oh, God, Maura. Yes. Please. To all of that." Jane practically moaned as she went to take a step towards Maura resuming their earlier activity. Maura raised a hand and held it between them.

"But, as evidenced by your earlier nap, I can see that you are in no way able to return the favor and satisfy my needs. So," she teased as she dropped her hand and noticed the stunned look on Jane's face "another time then" Maura finished before turning around and heading towards the exit of the morgue, her heels clicking distinctively against the tile. Perhaps more distinct that the clanking of heels with the stomping of a wild Rizzoli running to chase after Maura who had already gotten a head start towards the car. As the running grew louder, Maura turned quickly, causing Jane to nearly run right into her.

"Ow! Maura?" Jane said even though she was not injured.

"Yes, Jane?"

"I hope you know that you have just challenged me. Awoken a sleeping tiger if you will. I don't want you to think that I am not ever capable or have enough energy to satisfy you. I'm always willing and able." Jane said taking a cocky step forward.

"I always knew you'd be a passionate lover, Jane." Maura commented but her response caused a frown on the tanned detective. "Something wrong?" Maura asked.

"No, Maura, I'm fine. It's just..." Jane trailed off. Maura grabbed her detective's hand and gripped tightly, her eyes encouraging Jane to go on. "It's just I didn't just mean sexu.. in that way... Maura. I didn't mean satisfy in just that way. I mean every way, Maura. I want to satisfy you in every and any way possible. Not just sexually or whatever, but all that emotional crap too. I know I'm no good at it, but I will always, always be there for you Maura. In any way you need. You know that. If that means you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to vent to, or take your anger out on, whatever you can think of, Maura, I want to be that person for you." Jane dropped her head, trying to conceal tears. But, when Maura did the same, she quickly lifted her head and did the same with the medical examiners, a warm scarred hand cupping Maura's face, Jane's thumbs rubbing reassuring circles against Maura's cheeks before placing kisses to both. Then Jane brought her hand to the other cheek, effectively holding Maura's beautiful face in her hands. "Listen, Maura. I **need** to be that for you. I need to be there for you as much as you've been there for me. I need to know that I am helping you be happy in some way. Because nothing, nothing will make me happier than causing you to smile and be happy too, even if it's just for a second." Jane finished as tears flew steadily down Maura's cheeks. Each not going very far as they were stopped by a swipe of Jane's thumb and forgotten with a kiss there. The only logical thing that Maura's suddenly over emotionalized brain could think to do was step forward and kiss her detective passionately. So they did. And Maura's hands gripped Jane's curls as their tongues swirled together in a fiery passion as if those locks were the only thing keeping Maura alive and anchoring her in this very moment.

When they pulled apart, sadly only because the need for air presented itself, Maura quickly pulled Jane into an embrace and held her tight. Maura pulled out of the hug and gripped her hands around Jane's shoulders, leaned in for a quick kiss and then brought her hands to Jane's face holding it similarly to the way hers had been held only minutes before.

"Jane, that was the sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to me. I want you to know that all of that meant the world to me" Maura paused as she noticed Jane's blush-her soft side only presented for Maura-and then she continued "I can't think of anything that would make me happier than being with you, Jane, in every and any sense. You already have made me that happiest I've ever been. I can't help but smile and love life when I am around you. You've been the source for every smile, every happiness Jane. And I am glad that I can share that with you, honored even that you are the source of my happiness. I know we've only been together for a few months, but we've been friends for longer, and-and" Maura stuttered "I know I've said this to you before. I meant it then, of course, but I mean it so much more now, I think because it means so much more now. I love you, Jane." Maura finished. She was right, she had said these words to Jane before. However, never in that context, never with the meaning that they held now, never with that look of absolute terror on her face that looked as if it would shatter into a million pieces if the sentiment wasn't reciprocated. But, that was not the case here. Because after Jane had wiped the tears from her face and Maura's she traced her thumb across Maura's cheeks, smiling goofily at Maura as she was enchanted by woman in front of her.

"I love you too, Maura. More than you'll ever know." Jane said before gently placing a kiss on Maura's nervously trembling lips. After the kiss deepened, she felt Maura go weak in the knees, and in one fell swoop, Jane had bent down, caught Maura and pulled her into a wedding style carry. Maura went to apologize for weakening, her body crushed after being physically and emotionally tested by Jane. "Don't worry about it, Maur. I've got you. I'll always be there to catch you if you fall." Jane smiled proudly as Maura rested her head onto Jane's shoulder, nuzzling slightly into her neck.

"Oh, Jane. I already have." Maura smiled and placed a quick kiss onto Jane's neck as she continued to be carried out of the morgue, into the garage, and over to Jane's unmarked.

* * *

><p>An anonymous tumblr user suggested that the events of the next chapter needed to happen. Ask and you shall receive is my motto basically. So, anonymous tumblr user who I wish would make themselves known, your long awaited Rizzles sex is coming!<p> 


	17. Hot Water Rising

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been busy and I'm only getting busier! :O It's a challenge for me to write this and I really wanted this scene to be sweet so I hope you like it. PLEASE please please review! It really means the world to me that you guys are all reading this so please, respond to it. What did you like? What didn't you like? Could you see it in your head? Things like that. Enough of me, enjoy!

Hot Water Rising

Fifteen minutes later, Jane pulled into Maura's driveway. Their hands were still gently intertwined and as Jane turned off the car, Maura turned and looked over to her. No words were said, they were not needed because the fear was evident in Maura's eyes. To try to help calm her, Jane gently squeezed Maura's hand and smiled towards Maura. And they sat like that, just staring into each other's eyes, for a few minutes before Jane finally built up the courage to speak.

"I'm scared too, Maura." Jane managed.

"Oh, Jane." Maura began and lifted her free hand to Jane's cheek were she began to rub circles on Jane's cheek as she nuzzled into Maura's hand.

"Come on, let's go inside." Maura said as she dropped her hand and opened the car door. The two walked hand in hand to Maura's door. After opening it, they entered the house Maura dropped her keys on the table and the immediately walked towards the stairs. She leaned against the wall while waiting for Jane to finish taking off her shoes. After Jane fumbled out of her shoes, she walked over towards Maura who reached out a hand for Jane to take. Jane brought it up to her face and kissed Maura's hand. They stood together for a second, just clinging to each others hands before Maura asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"With my life." Jane replied without any hesitation. Maura smiled, gripped Jane's hand and lead her up the stairs, down the hall, and into Maura's bedroom.

x

Jane had not been to Maura's bedroom before. Whenever she stayed at Maura's the two would either end up asleep on the couch or in the guest bedroom downstairs. As Maura opened the door to her room, Jane took in every single detail. She noted how the light purple walls matched the bed sheets that were perfectly made on Maura's large bed, saw the pictures of her and Jane rested inside of picture frames on both of the bedside tables. In the corner of the room, Jane noticed the large armoire that Maura had asked to help her build. Resting on top of the armoire was Jane's uniform hat that she had left at Maura's after the ceremony she had for shooting herself and a folded flag that was given to Jane for her service to the city by the mayor himself.

But, Jane had given it to Maura, who initially refused, but was persuaded when Jane told her that it was Maura who had done a service to the city. It was Maura who had performed an emergency surgery on Frankie effectively saving his life. Maura who had run to Jane's bleeding side after the bullet pierced through her outside of headquarters and began to put pressure on the wound while elevating Jane's head and all the other medical necessities all while crying her eyes out telling Jane that it was going to be okay so long as Jane stayed with her. Maura who had saved Angela and Frank from having to bury their first two children. Maura who kept two of BPD's finest on the streets. It was Maura who Jane would want to have any reminder of her existence- remind her that even though she was a little goofy, she was loved. It was always Maura. It will always be Maura.

And as Jane looked around Maura's room, she saw little reminders of herself all over it. Besides the pictures, hat, and flag, there was the flowers from their first date which were now dried and hung upside down on the wall above Maura's desk. There was the toy gun that Jane had bought Maura as a joke that was balanced precariously on the window sill next to a single drying rose that Jane had gotten her a few days earlier. Jane could see into Maura's closet and noted the small pile of her own clothes that were folded and placed on their own shelf. And as Jane looked around the room and took in the subtle scent of Maura's home mixed with the light fragrance of her perfume, Maura realized too that it was Jane with whom she wanted to spend her time with. Jane who had fought for and protected Maura from any and all challenges. Jane who had took Maura in when she started at BPD. Jane who had showed her kindness, compassion, and sympathy even if Jane was frustrated with Maura's inability to lie or her need to find facts and not guess. Jane who had given Maura everything she never had when she was a kid. Jane who had opened her home and family to Maura who love her and accept her as their own. Jane who had opened herself to Maura after Hoyt each time, Jane who had let no one else but Maura in to see how broken she truly was. Jane who only showed her soft side to Maura- with the exception of any child that they had to work with. Jane who had given Maura love. It was always Jane. It will always be Jane.

Maura pulled Jane gently by the hand to the bathroom. They two women stood in front of Maura's shower facing each other and holding both of their hands together. Jane leaned down to kiss Maura lightly and sweetly on the lips. Maura let go of Jane's hands and instead placed them on Jane's hips.

"You trust me, right?" Maura asked again.

Jane only nodded in response.

With the approval now given, Maura reached her hands down to Jane's badge and gun. Maura pulled the badge from its spot first and began tracing her finger over the numbers and BPD crest.

"I love that you are a cop." Maura began as she placed the badge on the nearby counter. "You serve and protect the people who deserve it, and punish those who don't. You sacrifice yourself everyday by putting this badge at your hip." Maura reached for Jane's gun and pulled it slowly from its spot and carefully unloaded it just like Jane had taught her. "What you do is honorable and amazing. You are the best detective that I have ever worked with. But," she paused as she settled the gun on the counter "You are an even better person. You care so much, I think that's one of the best parts about you. You put your all into everything that you are doing and I love that about you. Your passion and dedication amaze me." Maura finished and punctuated with a kiss to Jane's lips. Maura wiped the escaped tears from Jane's eyes. She reached her hands back down to Jane's belt and carefully unlatched the metal hook from it's spot in the worn leather. She carefully pulled the belt from the loops and then dropped it to the floor- the metal hook clanging against the tile. Jane froze as Maura returned her hands to her hips and began to slowly pull Jane's tucked in shirt from her pants. Maura took her time unbuttoning each of Jane's buttons and then sliding her shirt off of her shoulders and down her long arms. Maura then returned her hands to Jane's hips to grip the white tank top.

"Up." she instructed and Jane followed her orders by raising her arms high above her head. Maura pulled the tank top up and over Jane's arms, revealing a black sports bra that Jane had thrown on quickly earlier in the evening when they got called in. Jane dropped her hands unceremoniously to her sides as Maura reached down and unbutton Jane's pants. Maura pulled the zipper carefully and then returned her hands towards Jane's hips where she was now pulling gently at the pants as she moved the further and further down Jane's long, lean legs. Maura had dropped to her knees by this point and was using one hand to lift each of Jane's feet to pull the pants out from underneath. She lifted again to remove Jane's white socks that looked like they probably belonged to Frankie. When she finished the task, Jane had opened her hand and Maura placed her own smaller one in it as Jane pulled Maura back up to her feet. Maura took a second to appreciate Jane standing in front of her in nothing more than a sports bra and boy shorts. Jane was exposed and under this new scrutiny she grew embarrassed and tried to joke.

"Had I known this was coming, I would have worn better under...things." Jane tried but Maura silenced her with a soft kiss.

"Don't be silly. I want you. As you are. Not Detective Rizzoli, not dressing up in something you aren't comfortable in. Don't get me wrong, you look incredible in a blazer or in a dress, but tonight I just want you. I love you. Jane Rizzoli, will you have me?" Maura asked with a shy smile as her reddened cheeks and darkened eyes looked up into Jane's.

"Absolutely." Jane said before moving into to seal her statement with a passionate kiss. As it deepened, Maura's hands came to rest against Jane's cheek and the other settled on Jane's hip. The feel of Maura's warm touch directly on Jane's skin sent shocks through her body and at the feeling, Jane pulled back from the kiss.

"Something wrong?" Maura asked suddenly worried that she had done something wrong.

"No, no" Jane began and gripped Maura's hand to reassure her, "This is perfect. You are perfect. Of course I'll have you, Maura. I would only be so lucky to have you take me back. I'm scarred, and stubborn, and my sarcasm gets me in trouble. But, you, you're something else. You put up with all my crap and you're the first person in my life who hasn't tried to change me, or left me because I'm hard to put up with. You are something else entirely, Maura. You're the smartest person I know, you deserve every single happiness this world has to offer. And if that means I get to be apart of that, and help you be happy, then I'm going to be the happiest girl in the world because I'll have you and you'll be wearing that smile of yours. That smile has gotten me through everything, it is my reason to live, my motivation to keep going even if bleeding out on the pavement is easier. When I-when I shot myself, and you were there, over me, taking care of me and telling me it was all going to be okay, you were crying so hard. Harder than I've ever seen someone cry before. And I thought that if that bullet wasn't going to kill me, that look on your face would. I've never wanted to make a person so happy before in all my life until I saw your face that day. You already have too much pain, you don't need mine and you certainly don't need any more of your I made a vow to myself that if I woke up from all this, if I survived, that I would do everything in my power to make you happy until the day that I can't do that anymore. I love you, Maura. You're the greatest thing to ever happen to me." Jane finished and wiped an escaped tear from Maura's cheek. Maura immediately brought her lips to Maura's and kissed her with everything she had and then pulled away.

Jane took the breaking of the kiss as a sign that Maura wanted to level the playing field a little bit. So Jane dropped to her knees and slowly slipped Maura's heels off of her feet. She brought a bare toe to her mouth and kissed it softly which made Maura laugh. The sound warmed Jane's heart and her smile could not be contained. Jane stood back up and slowly spun herself around Maura so that she was now looking at Maura's back and the long zipper that ran from below her shoulder blades to the small of her back. Jane unzipped the dress with the utmost delicacy. As one hand pulled the zipper down, the other trailed slowly behind it- a finger making it's own trail down Maura's back. The touch of Jane's warm hand sent shivers to Maura's bare back. And as Jane helped her step out of the dress, she thought about going to hang it up. But before she could even start to say it, Jane had already left the bathroom with the dress in hand. Maura could hear Jane fumbling with a hanger in the closer and the sound brought a smile to Maura's face.

When Jane turned the corner back into the bathroom, Maura was facing her, wearing only a pair of black panties. The sight made Jane freeze in place. Maura's sheer perfection physically stunned her. She did not even register Maura stepping closer to her and pulling the sports bra off and over her head. And Jane did not realize the warmth that came from having Maura so close to her until it was gone when she stepped away a second later. Maura had walked over towards the large shower, turned the water on, stripped herself of her panties and stepped inside. Before stepping under the warm water, Maura turned and popped her head back out of the shower.

"Care to join me, Jane?" Maura teased.

Jane could only nod in response. She slipped her underwear off and stepped inside of the shower, sliding the already foggy glass door closed with a gentle thump. Maura smiled and laughed as Jane stepped through the warm water to the other side of the shower and began kissing Maura deeply and passionately as strong hangs gripped Maura's soft skin at her hip. And as Jane pushed Maura harder against the sticky tile of the shower, she knew she would never again see such a beautiful woman, hear such a beautiful sound in Maura's soft, appreciative moans, smell Maura's warm clean skin, taste something as sweet as Maura's mouth, or feel something as deliciously soft as Maura's wet skin under her rough fingertips.

Reminder to please review :) I know this is not Rizzles sex, I decided that I am going to make that its own chapter. I hope you enjoyed the build up. Did you think it was sweet? And no, their first time is not going to be in the shower. But there will still be steamy (get it? steamy hehe) times in the shower next chapter, don't you worry.


	18. An Update

Hello all.

I know it has been literally years but I owe you updates. Since I last wrote, life has been pretty crazy for me. The girl I had been secretly pining after for a year and a half is now my girlfriend (and we've been together for over a year), I graduated college, got accepted to grad school, worked an awesome job, etc!

I am busy with my summer job but I promise I am working on updates for "Damaged Goods" and "My Own Personal Superhero." Sorry to keep you waiting for updates for all these years, but I assure you I am working on them.

Please message me either here or on tumblr if you would like to talk storylines, give me prompts, or share your ideas with what you think should happen.

Y'all are awesome. Stay posted for updates.

Love,

Alex


	19. Chapter 19

Hey guys, I know it's been a while but please hang in there with me. I am swamped at my summer job and don't have much free time. And unfortunately when it ends of I have personal and family stuff to deal with. Please know I am slowly but surely working on an update for you though! Just please respect that I have a lot going on right now so I can't necessarily get things to you as quickly, as often, or as polished as you may desire!

Remember I started this story years ago, I'm not in that place anymore. I'm sorry if things end up jumping around and if that bothers you but it's what I am inspired to write about now. Further, negative comments about how things are jumping around or are unedited really discourage me from writing in the first place. Of course there are going to be grammatical errors! I am writing this story in my spare minutes during the day, at scattered points, and on my phone!


	20. A Tender Love Affair

Ahh the long awaited chapter of Rizzles sexy times ;) Feeling a little nervous to write about this kind of stuff but I hope you like it.

Maura and Jane had spent nearly fifteen minutes in the shower making out before realizing that neither of them had accomplished more than just getting wet. The realization came after Jane took a step back from Maura's embrace to catch her breath. It was then, too, that the two women realized they were seeing each other's complete physical selves for the first time. The sight was striking and rather steamy from the hot water that had been pouring over their bodies.

"We look like a sculpture," began Maura, "You're all sharp lines-"

"And you're all gentle, hand carved curves." Jane finished.

"Do you mind if I?" Maura asked, gesturing to the shampoo as if to ask permission to wash her partner's hair.

"Please."

Maura's arm reached slowly past Jane's until she grabbed the shampoo bottle and brought it back towards her chest. She flipped it upside down and began squeezing the shampoo out until it created a small pool in her palm. Maura then lifted her arms while rubbing her hands together, landing softly on the top of Jane's head.

Jane instinctively closed her eyes as Maura's dexterous fingers began massaging the shampoo through her hair. Jane leaned her head back and moaned with pleasure as Maura's hands worked themselves through her hair. She found herself growing weak in the knees as Maura continued.

"Step over to the left a little and I'll help you rinse." Maura said, guiding Jane towards the waterfall by placing her soapy hand on Jane's hip.

Jane moved slowly under the water and enjoyed the feeling of the warm beads racing down her skin as Maura's hand continued to make circles on her scalp.

The two alternated positions until they were both shampooed and conditioned. This took another fifteen minutes as they found themselves enjoying their head massages. Other than the occasional, moan, laugh, or kiss, the only audible sound in the room was the water hitting the tile of Maura's roomy shower. Or, so it was until Maura's hands slowly began washing Jane's body with soap. It was then that Maura heard, through the sounds of the splashing water, the definitive sound of Jane Rizzoli crying.

Maura looked at Jane, silently asking if she wanted her to stop. Jane nodded no as tears continued to pour down her face. Maura continued on, moving her soapy hands slowly all over Jane's body. She crouched down to be able to wash Jane's lean legs. Her hands worked their way slowly up the front and back of Jane's legs sending shivers to both of their spines, despite the steaming water.

Maura paid careful attention to all the scars splattered across Jane's body like a Jackson Pollock painting. She kissed every single one of them. From the scars on Jane's knees from a skateboarding accident when she was a teenager, the scarred elbows from flipping forward off her bike when she was ten, the now 'x' shaped spot on her stomach and on her back from the day she shot herself, the perfect line on her calf from a previous case where she was stabbed with a small knife, and all the way up to both of her hands where Maura, now standing, held them. Maura brought the first hand to her face, nuzzling it gently against her cheek before kissing the spot where Hoyt inserted the first scalpel. She did the same with Jane's opposite and then, after kissing it, reached her other arm forward to find Jane's other hand and interlock them. The two women stood facing each other, gripping onto each other's hands and leaning their heads against each other. Jane cried quietly throughout the entire body washing experience.

"Jane," Maura whispered so softly her partner could barely hear it.

"Yes?"

"May I ask, why are you crying?" she said nervously, pulling her head back from Jane's so she could see her again.

Jane took a large breath in,exhaled slowly and spoke, "Because I am clean. Maura, you've cleaned me. No one has ever touched me like that before. No one has ever so carefully explored my body in such a respectful way. In holding me in all the ways you just did, you've helped me erase some very deeply rooted traumas as well as some negative experiences with other people."

Maura sighed through her nose and tilted her head slightly. Her expression dropped and she felt enormous relief.

"Maura, you have made me feel loved, respected, treasured, and cared for all in one shower. I don't feel like damaged goods anymore, I don't feel like I don't deserve you, like I'm unworthy. I feel new, fresh, and clean. You've washed away the thoughts and experiences that had been penetrating my pores and mind for years. I am clean. I am clean and I am entirely yours." Jane finished as tears continued to pour slowly down her face.

Maura, who now had tears in her eyes, pulled Jane into a warm embrace. And there the two stood, under the shower water, in a tight hug until their skin could not take the heat anymore.

Mwahaha two chapters in one update! Hope you guys are enjoying things so far. I'm definitely nervous to be writing again but also very excited. I hope you enjoy!

Jane could not take her eyes off of Maura. She watched patiently from Maura's bed as Maura continued with her post shower routine. From Jane's spot on the bed, she could see Maura sitting quietly at her little makeup mirror desk thingy Jane couldn't remember the name of. Jane stared in awe as Maura massaged expensive lotion from a brand she had never even heard of around the curves of her face and along her neck. The best part, Jane decided, was that Maura was sitting at her makeup desk thing, naked and free, the towel that was once wrapped around her body had fallen to the floor. Jane enjoyed watching the muscles in Maura's back move as she did, her shoulders and upper back reflecting years of yoga workouts. Jane could even make out a pattern of freckles that lined Maura's back and seemed to dance across both sides of her spine.

She let outa deep sigh which caused Maura to turn around in her chair, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay?"she asked as her fingers delicately rubbed circles of lotion along her arms.

It took Jane a moment to even register that Maura had spoken. Jane's eyes were glued to Maura's front and the way the dim light ran along her stomach carving out valleys in both sun and shadow.

"Jane?" Maura spoke with a snap of her fingers.

"Wha- uhh... Yes?"

At the sight of Jane stuttering and struggling for words, Maura giggled, decided she was finished with her lotion, and slowly stood from her stool.

Jane found herself wondering if she had suddenly been transported into a movie. She swore Maura was moving towards her in slow motion, somewhere off camera, a fan must've been blowing Maura's hair gently, and the light glimmered iridescently behind her.

"Damn..." was all Jane could manage as a completely naked Maura sauntered towards her.

Maura smirked, "I could say the same thing about you, Jane." She spoke as she approached the bed, reaching gently for the towel wrapped around Jane's body. Maura's warm fingers gripped the towel lightly and then painfully slowly removed it from Jane's body, the feeling giving both women incredible goosebumps.

Jane reached towards Maura, who was standing nearly an inch from her, and began gently moving her fingers along the curves of her body. The feeling made Maura's head drop in pleasure. After a minute, Maura gained the courage to do the same. The two women spent minutes tracing each other's bodies, curves, lines, and edges. Eventually, Jane stood as well so she could begin to trace Maura's face. Jane kissed her forehead, both cheeks, her nose, and then her lips. Maura smiled softly and sunk her face into Jane's warm hands.

When Maura opened her eyes again and looked up at Jane, she noticed Jane's eyes were staring down her chest. She silently smirked, reaching her own hands up to cover Jane's on her cheeks. At the touch, Jane returned from her trance and looked into Maura's eyes, asking for permission.

Without any words, Maura guided Jane's hands down her neck, and then slowly down and around the curve of her breasts. Jane's fingers nervously twitched as Maura moved them around her perfectly squeezeable chest.

"Please," Maura moaned.

Jane gently squeezed, rubbed, and massaged every part of Maura's gorgeous chest. Each gentle grab made Maura a bit more weak in the knees, a bit more turned on, and a bit more eager.

"It would be rude of me not to let you join in on the fun," Jane said gesturing to her own chest. "Go ahead. I'm sorry they're not bigger but they're all I've got." Jane joked.

Maura shook her head at Jane, leaned down, and delicately kissed each of Jane's breasts. While one got attention from Maura's mouth, the other would be squeezed and played with.

Eventually, Maura could not take the gentle foreplay. She decided she had enough. To let Jane know, Maura slid her tongue across Jane's chest and over her nipple. Her tongue dancing back and forth across Jane's nipple mad Jane go weak in the knees, causing her to fall back on the bed.

Maura smiled at the sight before joining her, slowly crawling on her hands and knees towards Jane's face, her thin body wiggling in anticipation at the gorgeous woman above her. Just as Maura was about to approach her face, Jane reached her arms around Maura and rolled the two around very quickly so that Jane was now on top of Maura. With a proud smirk, Jane laughed at the quick turn of events. Maura, however, decided to take back some of the control. She ran her fingernails down Jane's spine until her hands discovered the curve of Jane's butt. With that, Maura squeezed and pulled Jane towards her. Their centers crashed together with a wet, moaning, thud.

Wanting to feel more of this delicious pleasure Jane had never felt before, she continued to grind her hips slowly into Maura's center. Equally enjoying the feeling, Maura continued to squeeze Jane's butt and pull her hips harder into Jane. Soon enough, the two were rocking together in euphoria. Their pace quickened over time to the point where Jane could no longer hold herself up with the pleasure building. So, she dropped to Maura's side.

The two women rested, breathing heavily next to each other on the bed.

"That was..." Jane began.

"I know," Maura spoke as she lifted her arm until it was lying on Jane's stomach, her fingers just below Jane's bellybutton. "But I want more. I want all of you, Jane. And I want you to have all of me too. Will you please put your hand like mine? I want to feel you, just like this." Maura finished.

Jane silently moved her hand until she too had her fingers below Maura's bellybutton.

With Maura leading, the two women moved their hands down the other's stomach, landing first at gentle curls, and then at each other's warm, wet centers.

Each woman's middle finger dipped down into the other woman's most private area, collecting juices and increasing pleasure with each movement up and down each other.

"Maura," Jane spoke between moans.

"Yes?" Maura managed between her gasping breaths.

"I... Well I've never been able to, you know... find that one spot everyone's always talking about, you know, the-" Jane nervously muttered.

"The clitoris?" Maura interrupted.

"Yes, ugh... why do you always have to be so medical?" Jane teased.

"Well, I am a doctor, Jane. So lucky for you, I have an in-depth understanding of all things body and thus all things..." Maura paused so she could move closer to Jane's ear, "...pleasure." The way it rolled off Maura's tongue and into Jane's ear made her shudder and roll with desire.

Maura slowly moved her fingers around Jane's center, collecting juices and teasing her along the way. After a minute, Maura located the hardened nub between Jane's lips. With a gentle flick, Jane's entire body rocked and rolled into Maura's touch.

"That," Maura said definitively, "is your clitoris. And this," she added while using her other hand to guide Jane's hand that was already with her to her own, "is mine." Without speaking, Jane knew it was her invitation to touch, so she did. And man did she enjoy the moan and body rolls that accompanied it.

Lying on their backs, the two women continued to touch each other's most intimate points, rolling their fingers back and forth, around in circles, and up and down until they could not take it anymore. Jane let go first, her muscles tightening and then exploding into a state of relaxation. The pressure she added in the moment helped Maura jump over the cliff and let go as well, her body rolling in pleasure wave after pleasure wave. Jane, now exhausted and euphoric, curled into Maura's arms, her head resting on Maura's freckled shoulder. Maura squeezed Jane into a tight embrace while simultaneously pulling the covers over their bodies.

Jane and Maura laid in silence and bliss for a few minutes before Maura turned to kiss Jane's forehead, suspecting she had fallen asleep. As Maura quietly moved her lip from Jane's skin, Jane whispered ever so faintly, "I love you, Maura."

The words did not shock Maura. Instead, they warmed her body and soul. With a smile, Maura returned the words, hoping Jane's subconscious would hear and process them.

Noticing her own exhaustion, Maura closed her eyes as she nuzzled against Jane.

"Sweet dreams, sweet Jane." she whispered into the darkness.


End file.
